2,500 festive holiday centerpieces will be delivered to seniors on Dec. 12 and 13 thanks to the generosity of Larry Teufel of Teufel Holly Farms and The Bloom Project. At 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, 2,500 centerpieces will arrive at Meals on Wheels People Central Kitchen in Multnomah Village for delivery to homebound seniors by volunteers. This marks the sixth year that The Bloom Project and Teufel Holly Farms have made this generous gift.
“We are so very grateful to both Teufel Holly Farms and The Bloom Project for this wonderful gift of holiday cheer to our homebound clients,” said Meals on Wheels People Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Washington. “So many of the older adults we serve are alone and isolated that this special holiday arrangement will provide them with encouragement and let them know that someone cares for them.”
“Thanks to Teufel Holly Farms, The Bloom Project has a beautiful workspace and access to thousands of gifted flowers that we have in turn gifted to hospice and palliative care patients all throughout the Portland area,” said Heidi Berkman, founder of The Bloom Project. “We so appreciate their generosity, community support and true partnership.”
About The Bloom Project: Founded in 2007 by Heidi Berkman in Bend, Ore., The Bloom Project is a volunteer-driven nonprofit that provides fresh floral bouquets to hospice and palliative care patients. The Bloom Project expanded to Portland in 2013, and receives each of its flowers from donations provided by wholesale floral companies, growers and local grocery stores. The flowers are repurposed by volunteers into beautiful bouquets ready to deliver to local hospice and palliative care patients. Berkman and her team of volunteers are committed to sustainable business practices. Not only are they eco-friendly in their efforts to repurpose flowers from their partners, but also by composting floral waste. For more information, please visit: http://thebloomproject.org.
About Meals on Wheels People: Meals on Wheels People has been changing lives, one meal at a time, since 1970. We provide more than a meal to thousands of older adults in the greater Portland metro area. Our service not only alleviates hunger and social isolation, but allows seniors to live independently with dignity in their own homes. Aging in place reduces depression, falls and hospitalization as well as the high cost of institutional care. For more information, visit: mowp.org.