Woman Delivers Flowers To Widows Every Valentine's Day

February 14, 2022

A North Carolina woman is celebrating love on Valentine's Day by delivering hundreds of flower arrangements to widows.

flowers for widows
Ashley Manning

39-year-old Ashley Manning is a florist in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Last year, she started her "Valentine's Day Widow Outreach" by asking her followers on Instagram to send her names and addresses of widows so she could bring them flower arrangements.

She ended up delivering 121 arrangements, even though her goal was just 25.

flowers for widows
Courtesy of Ashley and Brandon Manning

This year her project has grown immensely.

With the help of 150 volunteers, Manning plans to deliver 400 arrangements on Valentine's Day.

The project is funded by donations and local businesses.

Last year, Manning said she brought her children to deliver flowers and a gift bag to an elderly widow in her neighborhood. When the woman answered the door, Manning explained what they were doing.

 

"And she said, 'This is just so nice, it just makes me want to cry'," Manning told Fox News. "And she started to cry and then my 10-year-old son started to cry. We stood there and talked to her and she told us that her husband had been gone for so long. And she said, 'When they're gone for so long, you forget to be sad on days like this because you forget what it was like to even get things on Valentine's Day'."

Manning said her 8-year-old daughter told her she felt "really good" afterwards.

"As a parent, that is something that you can't teach – it's something that they have to feel on their own. That's kind of the most memorable moment for me, was the kids seeing what it meant to that lady," Manning said.

"It's our job to show our kids how to be human. And if we all were just a little bit more selfless and thought a little more about other people, I think this would be a whole different world."

To make a donation: Venmo - @prettythingsbyaem / Instagram - @prettythings.charlotte