Meet the volunteers who bring flowers from weddings and funerals to hospice patients

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Aging Untold) — Inside Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, a group of volunteers gathers each week surrounded by color, creativity and collaboration. They call themselves the Flower Buds. From events to those in need The Flower Buds take donated flowers from weddings, funerals, wholesalers, supermarkets, florists, galas, banquets and other community events. They cut, clean and arrange the blooms into vases, then deliver them to nursing homes, the VA hospital, assisted living facilities and shelters. “Amazingly gifted with so many flowers from places like Kroger who have overbought and can’t sell them, and they allow us to pick them up and then bring them here, and then we cut them, clean them and vase them. Then we take them to nursing homes, the VA hospital, assisted living facilities,” Jodie Raible, a Flower Buds volunteer, said. The group sends out about 100 vases every week. “I take flowers to Up for Women and Children, it’s a day homeless shelter for women