Twin Cities nonprofit fighting senior loneliness with flowers
EDINA, Minn. — One in four senior Americans is living in isolation. And according to the National Institute of Health, 43% of seniors struggle with loneliness.
But a group of Twin Cities women are fighting that trend with flowers.
Bluebirds & Blooms in Edina looks like a floral shop, and in a way, it is. But workers there aren't making money. Instead, they're making joy.
It's a mission so celebrated that they have an overflow of volunteers.
Bluebirds & Blooms started in 2018 after one of the creators saw a news story about a charity in Idaho that re-purposed flowers for hospice patients.
They decided to create something similar, delivering to senior centers and hospices around Minnesota.
"When you're delivering the flowers, you're almost feeling like Santa Claus," said co-founder Laura Hogan. "You're coming and you're giving a gift and people just light up. They smile, they immediately just start a conversation with you. It's really the vehicle to start that visit."
Another layer of love to this mission is where they get the flowers. Some are donated by grocery stores, but some come from weddings and even funerals — allowing people's love to keep blooming.
And business is blooming, too. On the day WCCO visited Bluebirds & Blooms, they were delivering their 100,000th arrangement. The recipient of the momentous delivery was Minnetonka's Elder Homestead.
The flowers were received with great appreciation; a gift for the eyes and the heart. And around Elder Homestead, the only thing that has more power than a flower is the power of connection.