Alone on Mother’s Day? Not if this group of garden club members can help it

When Mother’s Day dawns for many with breakfast in bed or eggs Benedict for champagne brunch, the overlooked wait for phones to ring.

They might be widows. They might be divorced. Or maybe just lonely on a day designed for hugging.

So a handful of people from the Cary Garden Club hit on a Mother’s Day delivery service — flowers and an unconditional smile.

“Sometimes, we don’t think about these days,” said Marie Martin, who heads up the new nonprofit M.O.M. Wishing Widows Well. “Maybe someone who lives by themselves, a single person, or a widower. I have a son who’s raising two daughters. And he doesn’t know it, but he’s getting a ...”

(The N&O can sometimes keep secrets.)

The volunteer M.O.M. group, now a 501c3 nonprofit, started on Valentine’s Day with a few garden club members who fit the bill. But then Martin learned of a Charlotte mom who managed to bring flowers and gift bags to 400 widows in the Queen City.

“Oh, my goodness,” she said Friday. “This is something we should be doing.”

So she publicized her charitable urge on Facebook, nextdoor.com and in senior centers.

And thanks to Harris Teeter, which provided roughly 40 bunches of daisies and baby’s breath, she and her fellow volunteers rounded up enough blooms and vases for 70 bouquets. Trader Joe’s has offered to chip in for next Valentine’s Day, when the good-will drive will hopefully have grown beyond Cary, Apex and Morrisville.

M.O.M. volunteers placed lilies and carnations in 6-inch vases Friday, peppering them with baby’s breath.

“My rule is I just look at it,” said Michelle Blackley, a landscaper with a seasoned eye.

The first delivery went to a Cary widow. But later this weekend, one Cary woman will be getting a bouquet for the loss of her 15-year-old dog — courtesy of her worried Mom.

The group’s website offers details on how to donate, volunteer and nominate the needy. M.O.M. just asks for $11 per deserving flower-getter to help defer costs.

“The best part,” said Martin, “is delivering these and ringing the doorbell, and they’re not expecting it. The look on their faces, it’s just worth everything.”

This story is part of our regular “On the Bright Side” feature. Got a suggestion for a story that will bring a smile to our readers? E-mail Josh Shaffer at jshaffer@newsobserver.com.

This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 2:57 PM.