PATERSON Considered one of the most thoughtful of gifts, flowers can brighten up anyone’s day. And for seniors participating in the senior day program of Catholic Family and Community Services (CFCS) here, their days are definitely made brighter, thanks to a weekly donation of flowers from Trader Joe’s in Wayne.
The diocesan Catholic Charities agency, based at 20th Avenue in Paterson, receives these flowers every Tuesday due to the efforts of Barbara Preston, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Magnificat in Kinnelon. Preston was working part-time at the Wayne grocery store and saw how bouquet upon bouquet of flowers were being thrown away in the back dumpster. In addition, potted plants such as orchids, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths were also going in the trash.
“These bouquets are beautiful,” said Preston. “However, Trader Joe’s is strict on quality in what flowers could be sold and any flowers with a flaw would get thrown out. One flower would be wilted, missing a petal or even just the wrapping would be ripped and it would be thrown away. It bothered me to see these beautiful flowers being thrown away.”
As a result, Preston approached the store manager and inquired if there was a better way to save these flowers. “I learned if there was a non-profit that could use them then they could be donated,” said Preston.
Through Father Edward Lambro, a retired diocesan priest who previously served at diocesan Catholic Charities as development and public relations director, and helps out at weekend Masses at Our Lady of the Magnificat, Preston reached out to diocesan Catholic Charities and Lynn Gaffney, director of senior day program of CFCS, responded about the flowers.
“It was so exciting to receive that first donation, which was a magnitude of flowers,” said Gaffney. “The seniors were so thrilled to receive them.”
Through this new partnership with Trader Joe’s, each week, the store will pack up boxes of the flowers for Catholic Charities to pick up. The number of flowers and type of flowers will differ depending on each week and season.
“The seniors can arrange the flowers for themselves and or give them to other seniors in need. One senior plans on placing the flower donations at the altar of her church,” Gaffney said.
According to Gaffney, the flowers are already improving the quality of life of these seniors, who were isolated during much of the COVID-19 pandemic. The senior day program reopened last fall and it is the only social day center for seniors in the city of Paterson. The other centers for seniors in the city are medical based. The center provides transportation from the homes of the seniors to the center and back. A typical day begins with coffee, a discussion on current events, light exercise, a morning activity, lunch, and ends with an afternoon activity. Once a week, there is a trip to a local shopping center or an outdoor location.
The reaction of the flowers has invoked many memories for seniors. Gaffney said, “One of the seniors said, ‘The smell of these flowers reminds me of when I was a child running through the fields of the wild flowers with pink, red, and some yellow ones.’ Another senior said, ‘My husband used to give me flowers. I have not had any since his death.’ ”
Because of the abundance of flowers, other departments and agencies of Catholic Charities are also “reaping” the benefits of the flowers. With the extra bouquets available, some food pantry visitors were recently able to receive a bouquet of flowers along with their groceries. In the future, she hopes the flowers could be given to the seniors who receive Meals on Wheels and parish shut-ins.
“The reactions have been emotional. One food pantry visitor never received flowers before. She was so overwhelmed and started crying,” Gaffney told The Beacon.
With the potted flowers, Gaffney hopes to have them planted at several locations of Catholic Charities. “These flowers make a big difference. We are blessed to provide help and create hope for senior citizens in need and thankful to corporate partners like Trader Joe’s who support our ministry,” said Gaffney. “And it is all because one person saw something that didn’t seem right and initiated all of this.”
When asked about how this project has bloomed, Preston said, “It is rewarding and just a really nice way to give back. Kindness needs to be spread and with so many terrible things happening in the world, random acts of kindness are needed. Flowers are a beautiful thing. Receiving them really gives dignity to people. If we all stopped and asked ourselves, “What can we do to make the world a little better even in a small way? It will make a difference.”