North Carolina Mother of Four Gifts 400 Widows Flowers for Valentine’s Day

A mother surprised 400 widows with flowers on Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day is a day we cherish our significant others and the love of those who mean the most to us. For those who have lost loved ones, this day can be difficult. In hopes of making Valentine’s a little less painful, a mother in Charlotte, North Carolina named Ashley Manning has pulled together a team of volunteers who helped her deliver flowers and gift bags to 400 widows in the city.

The mother of four came up with the idea after transitioning from a pharmaceutical rep to a stay-at-home mom, Good Morning America reports. Manning started a hobby of making flower arrangements, and by 2020 she’d decided to turn the hobby into a business. The news outlet reports that she’d often make bouquets for her kids’ teachers and family friends.

“When I started Pretty Things by A.E. Manning, I started thinking about Valentine’s Day,” Manning told GMA. “I thought, I have a platform now to maybe involve more people.”

Manning then thought of the idea to start giving flowers to women who’d lost their late spouse or partner. In just hours after posting, Manning says she was swarmed with hundreds of dollars in donations from people who nominated widowed women. Last year, she was able to reach 121 women and two men with her flowers. This year, she’s raised over $22,000 while managing 300 volunteers who helped her put together more than 13,000 stems that were made into floral arrangements for 400 widows.

“It just kind of snowballed, but it’s a neat thing to see a good thing snowball,” said Manning, GMA reports. “They say misery loves company, but I think happiness loves company, too.”

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