Two Virginia Women Have Repurposed 800 Floral Arrangements as 'Form of Community Care'

Friendly City Florals founders Laura Ruth and Rebecca Shelly give flowers from weddings and funerals a second life at hospitals, senior care centers and more

In late 2023, friends Laura Ruth and Rebecca Shelly got to thinking about the unique power of flowers. Ruth's father — whom she helped care for following a hunting accident that left him paralyzed — had recently died, and Shelly had lost her father, and welcomed a daughter, during Covid.

"There were just so many flowers," Shelly, 32, tells PEOPLE of the tokens of both congratulations and condolence. "It really instilled an appreciation of what they can mean to people." It also sparked an idea for a way that vibrant blooms might be given a second life, to bring even more people joy and comfort.

The duo connected with wedding planners, venues and florists willing to donate leftover bouquets and arrangements, and identified hospitals, hospices, senior care communities and schools interested in receiving recycled creations arranged by the friends in their Harrisonburg, Va. homes. They also enlisted local volunteer gardeners willing to donate their blooms.

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In May, the pals launched Friendly City Florals, a nonprofit that has gifted more than 800 bouquets, each in a donated vase or glass jar, to more than 27 facilities and 30 individuals.

"It feels so special and meaningful, knowing we're brightening the days of the people we're donating to," says Ruth, 38, who notes that the arrangements often otherwise end up in the garbage following weddings or funerals. "It feels like we're making a difference, bringing this light to people, especially people who are going through so much."

It certainly has for the residents of the Sunnyside retirement community in Harrisonburg, which has received two bouquet deliveries.

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"It's been wonderful, and the residents' reaction to receiving the flowers, their faces light up and they bring so much joy," says Lauren Estes, life enrichment coordinator for Sunnyside. "It's been very special."

Pauline Patteson, 95, a recipient who lives at retirement community, agrees. "The flowers add so much to our lives," she says. "The beauty and the fragrance. They're so alive, and it helps us feel more alive too."

For more on Friendly City Florals— and other people across the country who’ve made big acts of kindness — pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now, or subscribe.

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