BUFFALO, N.Y. — Petal it Forward is a nationwide effort to promote kindness and one spot in Buffalo is getting in on the action. Manager at Maureen's Buffalo Wholesale Flower Market, Robert Booth said the whole mission is simple.
"An individual takes two bouquets, keeps one for themselves, gives the other one away, whether it's a friend, a loved one, or a complete stranger," Booth said.
The two bouquets are free of charge. Booth said they heard about Petal it Forward recently from one of their vendors and knew they had to join in.
"It's why we come to work everyday. There are not a lot of businesses that people can make a career off of making people happy, so that's something special for us."
They know the power that a flower holds, adding, "the joy of flowers, the colors, it just makes people happy." Devonte Walker is another manager at Maureen's. He said they are "trying to boost spirits and bring joy to people."
Employees at Maureen's delivered flower buckets to several businesses Wednesday morning through Petal it Forward. Their stops included The Salty Chefs and Fitz Books and Waffles.
Aaron Bartley, owner of Fitz Books and Waffles, also wanted to make people smile. "We love flowers and being able to share flowers, and it's an exciting opportunity to participate in that," Bartley said.
Donna Cohn Viertel is the owner and chef of The Salty Chef. She said, she loved this effort and it was a great chance to give back.
"The whole spirit of giving. It just really can brighten someone's day, especially flowers," Cohn Viertel said.
Jennifer Basile and Robert Ross both received flowers Wednesday and agreed it was "an unexpected surprise." The gesture made her smile and said she can't wait to give one to a coworker. Ross said that he was going to give his to his girlfriend, Catherine.
Booth added getting this started was "the right thing to do."
"City of good neighbors, right? It just makes sense," Booth said. "We've always loved the idea of everybody having flowers. Doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, you deserve flowers."
The team at Maureen's Buffalo Wholesale Flower Market is already looking forward to Petal it Forward next year.