Local nonprofit rescues discarded flowers to brighten seniors’ lives
How It All Began
On a typical morning, while most parents with four young kids are juggling breakfast and backpacks, one Parkland mom is also rescuing flowers headed for the trash heap—and delivering them to seniors in local living facilities.
Shayna Stein Schon, 35, and her husband, Gideon, 37, are the founders of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit aptly called Flower Power, which redeploys unused flowers and arrangements from florists, hotels, funeral homes, and grocery stores to local seniors.
More than rescued bouquets, Flower Power is a grassroots effort that turns discarded flowers into moments of joy for seniors, bringing together local businesses, volunteers, and community groups to spread smiles across South Florida.
The Chain of Love
Trader Joe’s in Coral Springs is one of Schon’s largest suppliers of excess flowers, plants, and anything floral.
“Flowers make everyone happy,” says Schon, who admits to a fondness for roses. “What is a better way to commemorate a life event or to just brighten someone’s day?”
To date, the organization—whose motto is “Spreading smiles one bouquet at a time”—has given new life to more than 5,000 bouquets, allowing them to bloom again and spread joy on their way.
The idea originated when Schon worked for the food bank Feeding San Diego, where she matched grocery stores with local nonprofits. The stores donated excess food, and the nonprofits distributed it to those in need.
“That experience inspired me and planted the dream of starting my own nonprofit,” she says.
After relocating to Parkland in 2024, that dream began to take shape. When friends and neighbors fell ill or needed surgery, Schon brought flowers. She realized that although she couldn’t fix their problems, she could brighten their day.
“I kept asking myself, ‘What can I do to make their situation better?’ ” she says. “The answer kept coming back to flowers.”
Schon’s mission quickly found support from local businesses. As a part of the community, Trader Joe’s believes it does more than just sell groceries.
“Being a neighborhood grocery store is about more than just selling groceries,” says Nakia Rohde, a spokesperson for the company. “It’s also about being good neighbors.”
According to Rohde, through its Neighborhood Shares program, the company provides nourishment to its communities every day, by donating 100% of unsold products (including flowers) that are fit to be enjoyed to local nonprofit organizations.
What began with the Schons, their children, and extended family has grown to include community volunteers and local organizations such as the Foundation for Independent Living (FIL), a residence in Coconut Creek where people with cognitive and physical disabilities learn to lead independent lives.
Coconut Creek resident Vicki Matthews, 63, who recently retired after 37 years at American Express, is one of those volunteers. She read about Flower Power in the local news and reached out to Schon.
“Shayna is incredibly responsive and has a passion for helping others,” says Matthews. “She called me immediately.”
Matthews was recruited to pick up flower donations from Trader Joe’s in Coral Springs, one of their largest donors, and drove her Lexus IS 200 to transport the delicate cargo. “I had flowers in the front seat, on the floor, on the back seat and floor, and in the trunk,” she says. “It was so cool, and the scent was amazing.”
At FIL, residents and staff pick up donated flowers twice each month from Trader Joe’s. They rework the unsold flowers, giving them a new life and purpose.
Mabell Angel, director of marketing and communications for FIL, says she and her residents are grateful to Schon for the opportunity to be a part of her mission. “I call it the ‘chain of love,’ ” she says. “Our residents get to pick up the flowers, create beautiful bouquets, and then deliver them to seniors—it’s a beautiful chain of love and compassion.”
The activity provides a creative, social, and purposeful outlet for the community’s 60 residents, who then get to brighten someone else’s day at another living facility.
Typically, Flower Power receives between 30 and 150 bouquets each week through its donation partners. Some are delivered as-is, while others are creatively repurposed into new arrangements.
Other organizations they partner with include Broward Health, Allegro Senior Living, Tamarac Center for Rehabilitation and Healing, Menorah House, and Sinai Residences in Boca Raton.
Rischelle Waxberg, activities director at Sinai Residences, says, “We’re so grateful to Shayna and Flower Power for brightening the lives of our residents.”
Flower Power typically brings bouquets for the traditional Friday-night Shabbat dinner. “When our residents see the flowers, their faces light up,” Waxberg says. “This is a wonderful mitzvah to have flowers on Shabbat.”
Impact and Future Goals
Additionally, Flower Power offers floral arranging workshops for schools, organizations, and community groups. Participants create something beautiful—one arrangement to keep and one to give away. Proceeds support the nonprofit’s mission of rescuing flowers and spreading smiles.
Schon hopes to recruit additional volunteers so she can spend more time fundraising and writing grants. Her goal is to source enough flowers to warrant daily pickups, not just weekly.
Flower Power has received small grants from Walmart’s Spark Good program and Target’s corporate giving initiatives, and it hopes to secure additional support. Its greatest needs include financial donations, flower suppliers, social media volunteers, and floral supply donors.
“We’re so grateful to Trader Joe’s in Coral Springs and everyone who works with us and donates to us,” says Schon. “Our vision is to continue growing throughout South Florida and eventually deliver thousands of rescued flower bouquets every week, bringing comfort and joy to even more people, one bouquet at a time.
“At Flower Power, we believe kindness doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Sometimes it just begins with a flower.”
For more information, or to make a donation or become a volunteer, visit flowerpowercommunity.org or follow Shayna Schon on Instagram.