As the Marion Flower Shop opened its doors at 7 a.m. Sept. 10, a line outside had already formed. When community members came inside, employees welcomed them with a dozen roses free of charge, but with one condition.
Eleven of the dozen had to be given away to neighbors, friends or strangers.
In honor of Good Neighbor Day, the store gave away 3,000 roses for free. Each person who walked in received a dozen roses of varying colors, each tied with a “Good Neighbor Day” tag.
The store had a steady stream of people at 7:30 a.m. and gave away about 50 bouquets to schoolchildren and adults on their way to work. The store expected to run out of roses by noon.
Amy Rigney, who works for the Marion Municipal Court Probation Department, stopped by the store to collect her dozen roses. She planned to give them away to people on probation who she said are “doing a good job engaging in positive, pro-social activities and really doing well making changes.”
“Especially in probation, we have people that are struggling with addiction and sometimes a lifetime of decisions that have led them to places they’re at,” Rigney said. “So I feel like this is something that encourages more positive community connection.”
Shaun Sharp decided to grab his roses after his wife stopped by and told him about the giveaway. He said he had a specific neighbor in mind when he picked up the flowers.
“Helping one another, especially when you’re living close to someone, it makes life even better if you guys work together and have someone that’s enjoyable to be around,” Sharp said. “And Stan and Bonnie are definitely those people.”
The tradition at the Marion Flower Shop started years ago, but was put on pause during the pandemic. After six years, the day of giving returned to Marion.
This year, the Marion County Sheriff’s Department helped prepare the flowers, tying tags to each rose. It took the team four hours to prepare the 3,000 roses and only ended with a couple sore thumbs.
Deputy Jesse Allen was among the deputies who helped prepare the roses.
“It’s always good to help others out,” Allen said. “Anytime you can lend a hand to somebody and make a difference.”
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: ‘It makes life even better:’ Marion Flower Shop celebrates Good Neighbor Day with giveaway
Reporting by Abby Bammerlin, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
