nonprofit spotlight
The Flower Shuttle WRITTEN BY RABEKAH HENDERSON | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHAN FREDIN
FOUNDER KATHY REECE considers the beginnings of The Flower Shuttle “a miracle.” Fifteen years ago, she read in the Oprah Magazine about a New York City woman who recycled unused flowers for people in need. Reece believed she could do the same thing in the Triangle — brighten the lives of those in community living and those facing illness and poverty through recycled flowers. With the help of the Raleigh Moravian Church, which gave the newly-formed nonprofit its seed money, The Flower Shuttle was born. “All the doors just started opening, and a good idea found its way through a lot of really hard working people with good hearts. It just took off — it was amazing,” said Reece. Today, nearly every day of the week, a team member from one of The Flower Shuttle’s 13 teams heads to the organization’s donors to pick up unsold or recyclable 76 APRIL 2021
flowers. The nonprofit’s flowers come from a variety of local places: grocery stores like Trader Joe’s, The Fresh Market and Costco, florists like The English Garden and The Watered Garden, and nurseries like Burkett Farms. After flower pickup, the teams unwrap and clean the blooms and form them into bouquets and floral arrangements. The flowers are then delivered to locations across the Triangle, such as community living centers, rehab facilities and hospitals. By doing this, The Flower Shuttle connects businesses in the Triangle with excess merchandise to communities that have a great need, like Transitions LifeCare, a Raleigh hospice home. The result is an impactful system that minimizes waste and maximizes the simple joy that flowers bring. “I think [The Flower Shuttle] brings together a lot of opportunities,” said Reece.
TOP: Rhonda Hinnart ties ribbons on bouquets, which she arranged in her garage. She and other Flower Shuttle volunteers recycle discarded flowers and bring them to people who don't normally get them. ABOVE: Volunteers remove wilting greenery and blooms from the donated arrangements before creating new bouquets.
