Smith’s Florist & Gift Shoppe in Gloucester is surprising members in the community this week with its Petal It Forward program, dropping off a pair of roses to random people—giving one for the person to keep, and the other to “Petal It Forward” to someone else. “It’s a powerful way to illustrate the positive health benefits of giving and receiving flowers,” according to the Society of American Florists, who launched the goodwill initiative in 2015. Smith’s co-owner Michael Richardson, shown here delivering a pair of roses, said his store began distributing flowers on Sunday; in all, he said, the florist plans to give away a couple dozen. “Given the isolation brought on by COVID-19, Petal It Forward is needed more than ever,” the SAF website said.
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