Category: Giving Back

Hunger and Food Insecurity: Why the Problem in America Is Worse Than You Realize

Our series “Community Connections” highlights the ways in which 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. connects with and celebrates the communities it serves. In this article, we look at hunger and food insecurity in the U.S., and our partnership with Feeding America to help solve the problem.

It’s eye-opening to realize that in a country with so many resources, hunger is a major issue. According to the USDA, more than 34 million people, including 9 million children, in the United States are food insecure.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation, food insecurity has soared. In 2021, 53 million people turned to food banks and community programs for help putting food on the table.

Hunger can affect people from all walks of life. Millions of people in America are just one job loss, missed paycheck, or medical emergency away from hunger. Many households that experience food insecurity do not qualify for federal nutrition programs and visit their local food banks and other food programs for extra support.

“While federal interventions and the response from the charitable sector have helped to keep overall food insecurity levels from rising dramatically since the pandemic, food banks and individuals across the country are still feeling its impact,” says Lauren Biedron, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Feeding America®. “Food banks are purchasing more food, but now at higher costs due to record inflation, while also seeing a reduction in the amount of donated food. And transportation for food has become more costly and challenging, with higher demand and a supply shortage of drivers in the industry.”

What we’re doing to combat hunger and food insecurity in America

Strengthening our customers’ relationships with the important people in their lives is what we do, and we also feel it’s critical to give back. We’re actively engaged in volunteer, philanthropic, and charitable programs aimed at supporting individuals and families in communities where our employees live and work.

Given our company’s many food brands, we’re in the business of feeding people. Many of our brands, including Harry & David and Cheryl’s Cookies, are already working on the ground in their local communities to fight hunger. In 2021, we donated nearly $6 million of perishable products to local nonprofits that provide direct assistance to families facing hunger. We see it not as a philanthropic endeavor but as a part of doing business to donate food throughout the year to multiple food banks.

We’re especially proud this holiday season to be actively engaging our customers in joining the fight against hunger and food insecurity. Now through Dec. 24, 2022, for each gift purchased from the “Season of Giving” holiday collection, 20% of the net proceeds* will be donated to Feeding America®. For every $1 that this national nonprofit receives, it can help provide at least 10 meals on behalf of member food banks.**

feeding america child holds bread

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, it helped provide 6.6 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry.

The donations from your “Season of Giving” purchases will support local communities across the country. Giving is truly the gift when helping neighbors in need. Here is a sampling of what is available from the holiday collection:

Photo of the Fields of Europe floral arrangement, which is available in the Season of Caring collection
Fields of Europe Christmas
feeding america personalized coffeee mug
Christmas Plaid Personalized Coffee Mug
Photo of Feeding America holiday cookies box
Merry Christmas Cookie Gift Box
See more of our Season of Sharing gifts

* “Net Proceeds” is defined as the gross sales price of the product less any and all taxes, service charges, shipping and handling charges, discounts, fees, surcharges, gift certificates, promotional gift certificates, promotional offers (e.g., airline miles, points, e-money, etc.) credits, rebates, chargebacks, refunds, credit card processing fees and gift certificate cancellations. A minimum donation of $50,000 will go to Feeding America®, a 501(c)(3) non-profit recognized by the IRS. Tax ID Number: 36-3673599. Feeding America® 2022.

** $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of member food banks.

U.S.-based Floral Designers Raise Money for Ukraine

The floral community is well-known for coming together to assist each other and doing what they can to help those in need. When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, Victoria Clausen of Victoria Clausen Floral Events and Floral Fêtes in Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland, decided she needed to do what she could to help the community directly in Ukraine. And she had personal connections to help, too—“I am personally from Ukraine,” she shared with floriology. “My mom, my brother, immediate family, and extended family are still there, lots of really good friends, and when the war broke off…I just thought, ‘I need to do something.’”

ukraine flowers floriology

Victoria started the #BloomsforUkraine tag on Instagram to tell her personal story and connection to Ukraine, as well as share information about how to donate through her personal contacts. Victoria also made and sold floral arrangements where a large portion of the proceeds raised went to her donation efforts.

Originally, Victoria thought she could use her platform to collect a few thousand dollars to help friends with their efforts in Ukraine and assist those who could be evacuated—the response exceeded her expectations. “There was such an incredible response,” she said. “That first week, we collected $40,000 between donations that came to my Venmo account and the #BloomsforUkraine sales—we don’t have a nonprofit or anything like that. It’s just through my personal contacts that we’re doing this work because that allows us to be extremely flexible and get the money delivered quickly where needed and make decisions about how to use it the best way possible.”

ukraine flowers sunflowers floriology

To help raise money, Victoria began selling “blue and yellow bunches at the store to also raise money. Eighty percent of the profit from those bunches went toward efforts. And, on top of that, we’ve been donating 15 percent of the overall store sales towards Ukraine. Between all those initiatives, just through the store, we were able to raise about $57,000. But, when that’s combined with other contributions and donations from those who have been helping us, we’re close to $110,000 that’s been raised for Ukrainian efforts.”

One of those who helped Victoria reach this donation milestone is Rachel Gang, owner of Helen Olivia Flowers in Washington, D.C. Rachel became involved in #BloomsforUkraine when she posted a yellow and blue floral arrangement on Instagram. A wedding planner who was aware of Victoria’s efforts and who works with both Victoria and Rachel connected the two, “and we thought it was such a great idea,” Rachel said. “So, we decided to offer an arrangement on our website that folks could order and 100 percent of the proceeds from the arrangements would then turn around and go to her efforts.”

Rachel shared that they received “an overwhelming response. Our clients were incredible in ordering and sending our arrangements.” For arrangement details, Rachel and her team used mixes of “daffodils, hyacinths, garden rose, ranunculus,” and more in yellow and blue colors. “We took off with such speed that our wholesalers were scrambling to get yellow and blue product.”

Although the sunflower is the official flower of Ukraine—and a big seller during the summer and fall months—Victoria decided to make her arrangements to purchase for donation during the springtime with “a variety of blue and yellow flowers that represent the Ukrainian flag.” Victoria wanted her arrangements to represent the colors of the country and to give people a reminder of peace and Ukraine’s beauty.

To remain transparent to donors, Victoria knows precisely what the money is being used for. For example, on an Instagram post, she shared that $15,500 funded three AWD vans serving as field ambulances; $8,000 funded a van for refugee/supply transportation; $6,500 for an SUV turned field ambulance; $5,000 for hotel assistance; $9,200 to aid new and expectant mothers; $3,600 for medical supplies; $1,000 for Ukrainian media support; and more.

Originally, Victoria thought she could use her platform to collect a few thousand dollars to help friends with their efforts in Ukraine and assist those who could be evacuated—the response exceeded her expectations.

Victoria noted that at first, donations were coming in quickly, but now, they have dwindled. She attributes this to slowing media attention on the war, as well as her bandwidth—being able to support her business while also trying to raise money for those in Ukraine. However, she remains “overwhelmed” by the support from the industry and those who support the floral community, along with those who share their stories with her from the ground in Ukraine.

As the weather turns colder, Victoria will be partnering with a Seattle-based non-profit to start a Building Hope Foundation to help Ukrainians survive and rebuild. Victoria and Rachel also plan to continue fundraising as much as possible for Ukraine relief efforts and other causes they feel passionate about.

BloomNet serves to gather stories and connect people with resources to educate and share with our readers. More information can be found on Victoria’s Instagram pages (@victoriaclausenflorals and @floralfetes) and Rachel’s Instagram (@helenoliviaflowers).

Planting the Seeds: The Story of Smile Farms

Our series “Growing Smiles” explores the challenges faced by America’s developmentally disabled adults and the solutions provided by Smile Farms, the primary philanthropic endeavor of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.

It’s planting time, and Tyler is keen to get started. The garden beds are prepped and ready, the weather is perfect, and Tyler concentrates on his task of carefully dropping seeds in the earth. “He’s the most stellar seeder in the world,” says Rob Melnick, who supervises Tyler and other adults who have learning challenges. “He’s our go-to guy for that.”

Tyler’s job helps him develop life-critical skills. It’s part of Smile Farms, a program that trains people with developmental disabilities to work in horticultural settings. For the Farmers, confidence and self-esteem grow alongside the seedlings.

“I like putting the seed into small boxes,” says Tyler. “I add dirt, seed, water, dirt, water to help them grow. Then they turn into plants!”

Growing plants and skills

Smile Farms Famers work on a planting bed

On this day, 26-year-old Tyler is working in the garden of a residential facility operated by Family Residences and Essential Enterprises (FREE), one of the organizations that collaborate with Smile Farms in the New York metropolitan area. Rob, who is vice president of community services at FREE, clearly delights in seeing how the Farmers enjoy their newfound passion and purpose. “By getting your hands dirty and engaging in a meaningful way, the body and soul and mind really come to fruition, especially with our agricultural programs,” he says.

Tyler is on the spectrum and has specific talents. Planting tiny seeds accurately is one of them. “Not just anybody can do that fine-motor skill and be able to very delicately take very minuscule seeds and properly sort them and then plant them,” Rob says.

And that, in a nutshell, is the essence of Smile Farms. Everyone has skills — they might just not have had a chance to develop them yet. It’s also true that everyone can be part of a team and thrive, taking satisfaction from their work.

“Smile Farms is often a first job for our Farmers — and many come to our programs without experience working with others toward a common goal,” says Diana Martin, managing director of Smile Farms. “We offer them the opportunity to literally grow together, individually, as a team, and from the earth. It’s very special to witness their pride in themselves and in the fruits of their labor.”

Part of the nonprofit’s success is a direct result of its commitment to forming relationships with local small businesses, whether with restaurants, stores, or other agricultural ventures. Smile Farms creates a web of experts and supporters, and in turn weaves in an expanding network of partner campuses.

Diana Martin Headshot

Smile Farms is often a first job for our Farmers — and many come to our programs without experience working with others toward a common goal. We offer them the opportunity to literally grow together, individually, as a team, and from the earth. It’s very special to witness their pride in themselves and in the fruits of their labor.

Diana Martin

Managing Director

Smile Farms

The first seed is planted

The Smile Farms story began in 2015 with the McCann family. Kevin McCann lives in a group home on Long Island, New York, run by Independent Group Home Living (IGHL). When the program’s CEO, Walter Stockton, mentioned to Kevin’s brother Jim McCann, founder and chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., that he was having trouble finding work for residents, Jim told him he’d be happy to help.

But when Jim scanned the local job market, he discovered that there were indeed very few options for meaningful work for people with developmental disabilities. “Work is about a lot more than a paycheck,” says Jim. “It’s about who we are, it’s social, it’s about fulfillment engagement, a sense of contributing, and giving back, learning and growing.”

“Job numbers for people with disabilities were low before the pandemic, and certainly numbers have dropped dramatically,” says Donna Meltzer, CEO of the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities. “And we don’t know how many of these jobs will come back.”

Pre-pandemic, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities living in community settings was 38.9 percent in 2019, according to the Annual Report on People with Disabilities in America: 2020, compiled by the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability. To put that in context, the ratio for people without disabilities is more than double, at 78.6 percent. And Donna says that the employment rate for people with intellectual disabilities is even lower.

Jim McCann

Work is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about who we are, it’s social, it’s about fulfillment engagement, a sense of contributing, and giving back, learning and growing.

Jim McCann

Founder and Chairman

1-800-FLOWERS.COM

Jim was determined to fill that opportunity gap. He and his brother, Chris McCann, CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, embarked on a mission to design a nonprofit that would teach skills and hire people to grow flowers and produce, in turn giving them the opportunity to flourish.

Today, job creation is still a focal point for Smile Farms, but the organization now expands on the educational and vocational programs offered by its partners, too. This helps the Farmers develop more skills, which in turn will lead to a wider range of fulfilling work opportunities.

A dream becomes reality

Smile Farms Farmers
Photo by Valery Rizzo

Smile Farms broke ground on its first working garden in 2015 at IGHL. Today, 140 Farmers receive paychecks funded by Smile Farms, and the organization impacts countless families across 10 campuses. Almost none of the Farmers have worked before, so it’s the first time they are experiencing the satisfaction of mastering new skills, the pleasure of contributing to their team and community, and the thrill of taking home a paycheck. 

The produce the Farmers grow is donated to nonprofits that serve communities in need. It’s also bought by local restaurants — chef Tom Colicchio sources it for his Small Batch restaurant in Garden City, New York, which prides itself on showcasing the best ingredients from Long Island. Some vegetables are enjoyed for dinner by the Farmers themselves, and baskets of them are sold at farmers’ markets to raise money that’s plowed back into Smile Farms and its partners’ projects.

Benefits of working with earth

They get such a great sense of purpose, the feeling that they’re part of something bigger than themselves, that they can give back.

Kim Brussell

Vice President of Public Affairs and Marketing

The Viscardi Center

There’s a powerful connection between working with the land, planting and growing, and health and mental benefits. The American Horticultural Therapy Association describes horticultural therapy as “a time-proven practice” that goes back centuries. Working in a garden or farm setting “helps improve memory, cognitive abilities, task initiation, language skills, and socialization,” the organization says, adding that vocational programs help “people learn to work independently, problem-solve, and follow directions.” 

Kim Brussell, vice president of public affairs and marketing at The Viscardi Center, another Smile Farms partner, notes the personal boost her students feel when they garden and grow. “They get such a great sense of purpose, the feeling that they’re part of something bigger than themselves, that they can give back,” she says. “Their work is very important, and they see it’s important. They’re donating all these cucumbers to a food bank or a mobile market that’s counting on them — and that stays with them.”

Adapting and growing

Farmers at Smile Farms pose in front of a planting bed

Just as the Farmers learn and develop new skills, Smile Farms is adapting to changing times itself. When the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible for the Farmers to work and socialize together, Smile Farms came up with ways to keep everyone’s enthusiasm and connection strong.

One particularly well-received project? Seed-planting kits. “We thought, ‘Well, we can’t bring our Farmers together, but we can give them something that mimics the experience of watching something grow and getting your hands dirty and watering it, seeing how it grows over time, and we can get it to them at home,’” says Diana. “We created kits by putting together basil, shovels, sun-catchers, and T-shirts,” she says. “Then we paired them with an art kit and painting video so they could explore that area of creativity at home as well.”

Although Smile Farms has only been up and running for five years, Diana says it has innovated and earned itself a solid reputation as a nonprofit leader in creating solutions for unemployment among young adults and adults with developmental disabilities.

2021 Year in Review: How Our Community Expressed & Connected This Year

This year let’s reflect on all the ways that you helped us to grow and foster our community. Your tips, advice, and stories inspired us. We hope you enjoyed and utilized some of the resources we shared to better express and connect with the important people in your lives.

WINTER

Our Celebrations Pulse letters written by our Founder and CEO reach 7M community members

WINTER

Our community sent 14M roses on Valentine’s Day and 330k of you celebrated #nolimitsonlove

1-800-Flowers.com hosts 9 Light After Loss series with Modern Loss’ Rebecca Soffer. Community members, like CO Police Commissioner Steve Davis, share the impact of these communal sympathy expressions with us

SPRING

More than a 1/4 of a million community members sought or provided advice on Connection Communities, including 14K mothers, daughters, and granddaughters who connected in our Motherhood connection community

SPRING

Our community members sent 23M stems to celebrate mom on Mother’s Day and 1.5M of you watched our Love Makes A Family event on Facebook Live

SUMMER

In partnership with GLAAD, our community members sent Kaleidoscopic Roses to celebrate Pride month

SUMMER

Thousands of you attended our inaugural Celebrations Book Club by Cheryl’s Cookies with author Jennifer Weiner

Harry & David welcomed 800 dinner guests through Hosted Dinners since its launch

Thousands of you attended our Celebrations Book Club by Cheryl’s Cookies with author Lisa Jewell

Vital Choice joined the 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. family to help you gift “Better for You” foods to your loved ones

Smile Farms

expanded meaningful employment opportunities for adults with disabilities, opening 2 new campuses and employing an additional 100+ farmers in 2021

Smile Farmers, working across 6 campuses, tripled the yield of hot sauce: harvesting a total of 2,206 lbs. of hot and sweet peppers which are currently being processed into 6,213 bottles of hot sauce

Looking Back at Our Online Events

In the past year, we hosted over two dozen online events aimed at helping you express yourself, connect with loved ones, and celebrate the moments in your life. More than 8 million people joined us over the course of the year. As you’ll see in this video, we shared everything from heartfelt stories to practical tips – and had quite a bit of fun in the process!

A Year in Review: How Our Online Events Have Changed the Way Our Customers Engage

Bringing the Heat: At Smile Farms, Hot Sauce Comes With a Kick and a Purpose

Our series “Growing Smiles” explores the challenges faced by America’s developmentally disabled adults and the solutions provided by Smile Farms, the primary philanthropic partner of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.

It’s hard to write about the upcoming hot sauce from Smile Farms without loading up on the clichés. It’s made with love. It’s all about teamwork. It’s a product that benefits lots of people. And it’s a sauce that gives back.

That’s because all of those are true.

Smile Farms is a nonprofit that trains people with developmental disabilities to work in gardening and horticulture, helping them master new life skills, contribute to a team and community, and take home a paycheck. And, of course, along with those comes a well-earned sense of pride and accomplishment.

This year, all seven Smile Farms partners are planting peppers on their campuses, which means 10 gardens growing about 2,500 pounds of peppers, if the garden gods smile. That should make 6,000 bottles of the hot stuff.

“Over 250 Farmers will be growing the hot and sweet peppers this season,” says Diana Martin, managing director of Smile Farms. “Planting began on May 19, and we plan on an October harvest.”

The perfect pepper plan

Smile Farms is working with Brooklyn Grange, a commercial urban farm that operates the world’s largest rooftop soil gardens — it grows on three roofs in New York City and harvests more than 100,000 pounds of organic produce a year.

The new sauce will be made with peppers grown by Smile Farmers and use Brooklyn Grange’s tried-and-true hot sauce recipe.

“Phoebe Tran, our garden manager, will be visiting each campus once a month to supervise the growing of the peppers for the Smile Farms hot sauce,” explains Michelle Cashen, project manager at Brooklyn Grange.

Michelle lists a slew of peppers with interesting names: The sweet peppers being planted by Smile Farms are Carmen, Escamillo, and Roulette. The hot peppers are Flaming Flare (yes, it sounds a bit dangerous), Hot Paper Lantern, Hungarian Hot Wax, Krimzon Lee, jalapeño, and habanero.

She says the peppers “will be especially good for hot sauce because they are unique, high-yielding, and very flavorful, giving lots of juice. They have a lot of meat to them, and are also bigger than some chile peppers.”

Source of inspiration

At the Smile Farms partner League Education and Treatment Center (LETC) campus in Brooklyn, Mark Handelman had the inspiration to create a hot sauce featuring peppers grown by Farmers on his campus. The idea was to use sales proceeds to help fund the site’s gardens and foster pride and satisfaction when the Farmers see people enjoying the fruits of their labors.

BurnAbility is the catchy name of the LETC hot sauce, created with Brooklyn Grange, and Phoebe Tran still consults at the LETC campus once a week.

Diana Martin Headshot

We want to put something out into the world that says people with disabilities can do everything you can do, and things that maybe you can’t do.

Diana Martin

Managing Director

Smile Farms

LETC program staff say they are delighted with the expertise the Brooklyn Grange team offers: “The Farmers have learned how to employ organic and sustainable methods, including the use of compost, companion planting, and how to attract pollinators and ‘good pests,'” they say. “The farmers are responsible for seeding, planting, tending, weeding, watering, fertilizing, harvesting, storing produce, and composting.”

Louis Pelino, director of Workforce Development for CFCS/LETC, stresses that it’s not just peppers that grow from the farm. “I can tell you that the farmers derive immense satisfaction from working on the farm and producing a product that they can be proud of,” he says. “They are excited to come to work every day and are eager to learn new parts of the process. Each person has found new ways to excel. For most of them, working at the farm is more than a job. It’s part of their identity, for which they are very proud. The paycheck doesn’t hurt either — payday is a very exciting day here!”

When LETC started its pepper project in 2019, Smile Farmers at the campus grew and harvested 337 pounds of hot and sweet peppers that eventually turned into 1,000 bottles of delicious red and green hot sauce.

Sauce specifics

So, inquiring spice connoisseurs want to know: What will be the flavor profile of this new Smile Farms sauce? Michelle is happy to share everything but the secret recipe:

“The characteristics of the Smile Farms hot sauce are that it will be mild to medium in heat and very flavorful,” she says. “Fresh herbs and the variety of peppers will make a difference — we are not using extracts as other recipes do.” One thing that will not be in the hot sauce? Artificial ingredients.

Shining a light on artists

The labels for the hot sauce bottles have had as much thoughtful input as the choice of peppers. For starters, the lively pepper character on the label is “Patty Pepper,” named in honor of Patty Altadonna, assistant to 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. Founder Jim McCann. The background is artwork from the Farmers themselves. “The Farmers at the Viscardi Center made the artwork for this year’s bottles, and every year we will feature art from a different partner,” says Diana. The artwork on the first labels is an orange and red design that conjures up peppers, heat, and flame.

Diana’s face lights up when she talks about the hot sauce labels: “Our partner organizations tell us they have people who are just amazing artists,” she says.

“We want to put something out into the world that says people with disabilities can do everything you can do, and things that maybe you can’t do,” she explains. “Smile Farms is not limited to gardening, even though that’s where we started — we want to bring that awareness in a much larger way. We see the label as a way to highlight those other skills as well.”

smile farms collection banner

Helping Those Impacted by the Oregon Wildfires

Over the last couple of weeks, fast-moving wildfires have swept through the Rogue Valley of Oregon, including the Medford community, where our Harry & David brand is located. Like so many other communities in Oregon, Washington, and California, this area has been devastated by the fires. With millions of acres burned and thousands of homes destroyed, to watch this unfold has been heart breaking.

Through Their Eyes: The Almeda Fire

We are incredibly grateful that we have not suffered any loss of life in the Harry & David family due to the deadly fires. But, so many of our colleagues and their neighbors have lost everything. Over the past few days, we have seen so many acts of kindness, including Airbnb supplying emergency housing for those affected and Columbia Sportswear matching employee donations. All help is good help. It’s appreciated because it makes an impact.

How we are helping the Rogue Valley community

We have begun marshaling our resources to help our families and the broader Rogue Valley community as they begin the long and heartbreaking recovery from this tragedy. While our primary concern is to help our team members get back on their feet, we are also concerned for all the families enduring these challenges.

Locally, we have begun a drive for the collection of essential items, and we’ve also custom built 100 baskets to donate to families in need. There are so many ways to support folks in these affected areas. For our part, we have partnered with the Teresa McCormick Center, an I.R.C. Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity organization that serves the needs of the community in Medford, Oregon.

Located on our Harry & David campus, the Teresa McCormick Center traces its origins and its name to a former Harry & David team member whose compassion led her to collect items for fellow team members in need. Throughout the year, the company supplies ongoing aid to the Center through both in-kind and financial support.

How you can help support the Rogue Valley

Internally, our Company, together with our team members across the country, is raising funds to help those affected through the Teresa McCormick Center. You can help, too, by donating to the Center. All funds donated to the Teresa McCormick Center will go directly to affected families, so we encourage you to take part, or find other ways to help those in need.

On our social media channels, we have received dozens of prayers, which we appreciate and are extremely thankful for. Our customers are our heartbeat, and in times of challenge, heroes emerge. Our hearts are with all of you who are enduring or will endure these challenges.

Thank you for your support,
Jim and Chris

* Teresa McCormick Center is a public charitable organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, donations to Teresa McCormick Center are considered tax deductible to the extent that IRS rules permit. If you have questions regarding the deductibility of your contribution, please consult with your personal tax advisor

Celebrate the Young People on International Youth Day

Thoughts by Founder Jim McCann

They say you’re never too young to change the world. Sometimes our best work is done when we don’t know all the reasons why it will not work.

The United Nation’s (UN) annually marks International Youth Day (Wednesday, August 12, this year) to “celebrate the young people, youth-led organizations, governments and others who are working to transform education and uplift young people everywhere.”

We’ll celebrate this day by reflecting on our firsthand observations of how dedicated and passionate young people are making a difference.

international youth day

Amazing Insight

At 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and the rest of the Celebrations Family of Brands, we have an annual internship program for college and graduate students which runs for about 10 weeks every summer. Normally we have about a hundred interns across the country, but this year it was less than a quarter of that, with about ten working out of our headquarters, unfortunately not in the building due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each year the interns work on a project for the duration of the summer, which focuses on strategic initiatives of the company. At the end of the summer the interns present their findings to senior leaders and we award a prize to the group that presented the best idea. We deeply value our interns and the perspective that they bring.

We invited this year’s interns to participate in a fundraiser for Smile Farms, a non-profit my family and I started which is dedicated to employing adults with developmental disabilities. The organization, founded in 2015, currently employs nearly 150 individuals with developmental disabilities. The interns led a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to enable Smile Farms to provide at-home plant grow kits for their differently abled farmers, since the pandemic prevents them from working their usual jobs in person. The interns created fundraising pages, shared them with their social media networks, their friends and families, and their 1-800-FLOWERS.COM colleagues and supervisors. They raised thousands of dollars for Smile Farms.

A positive outlook and the ability to adapt

One of the interns, Emily, had this to say about the campaign: “I loved the idea of Smile Farms and hearing all about everything you all do. I think it’s a really amazing organization, and I was so happy to hear about this fundraiser and help anyway I could!”

We recently had the chance to speak to the intern class both about their Smile Farms project. We were able to take advantage of being with these very bright young folks to talk about these unprecedented times and their effects on mental health. We gained some amazing insight.

Given the promotional ads that pop up on our social media feeds, one young man, Scottie, was on the mark. He predicts that masks will become an industry of their own, “complete with competing fashion styles, and potentially built-in sensors that send data to your phone or other devices.” Brilliant! He notes that making masks trendy and desirable may mitigate some of the stigma around them, which can help new businesses thrive and save lives. Leveraging the “real estate” of the mask is already something we’ve seen in recent times as companies and sports teams have branded them.

Scottie also thinks that fitness will move from gyms into our homes, and personal fitness equipment and virtual reality will see a spike in sales and help people find a way to exercise together while they’re apart.

Our intern Nick has started to question the future of human contact. “Shaking someone’s hand is considered unacceptable in our new world,” he pointed out. He wonders if touching elbows and giving fist bumps will endure as the new handshake.

Nick also offered this sage perspective: “Our conversation today helped me to understand that this is something we all need to adapt to. I realized that one skill I have is the ability to remain positive in such times of uncertainty. It’s hard to know what our future will look like. The best way to approach it is with a positive outlook and the ability to adapt and get ahead.”

We also spoke with a few of the interns working at Harry & David for the summer about their experiences. One young woman, Brooke, shared her thoughts on the E-Commerce industry: “During these times especially, E-Commerce is so important since people are doing most of their shopping online. Being able to be a part of the process to better our site and make it more user friendly and accessible to millions of people is something I never thought I would get the chance to do as an intern.”

We wholeheartedly agreed with Harry & David intern, Skyler, when he said: “In result of ongoing events, the landscape of the world is changing, as is how we do business.”

You never know where a big idea or great thought will come from. Be curious. Every interaction gives you a chance to learn, to adjust your perspective and get a new insight.

We have a positive outlook after spending time with our amazing interns. We’re confident that the world will be safe in the hands of this next generation.

We wanted to share some interesting articles about the incredible work young people are doing to make our world a better place:

A Week to Honor Moms, Teachers, Nurses

thank you moms, nurses & teachers

People often ask: is Mother’s Day the biggest day of the year for our florists? Yes, it is! And this week we are also honoring teachers and nurses. These three groups of people are doing even more remarkable work than usual to support us and our families.

Nurses

grateful for nurses during nurses week

No one has borne the brunt of this pandemic like nurses, who are working on the front lines with grace and grit every day. During National Nurses Week, we always honor their selflessness, but this year we owe them special gratitude for keeping us safe. Our friend Dr. George Gubernikoff, who is working now as an attending at NYU Winthrop’s COVID ICU, wrote: “Everyone who works in the hospital, puts a mask on, and overcomes their fear is a true hero.” We could not have put it better ourselves.

Take the time to tell all the nurses in your network – whether parents, siblings, or friends – how grateful you are for what they do. Think of something to do this week to make their lives a little easier: cook a special meal, have special treats delivered to their homes, or even just offer to listen to what they are feeling and seeing as they go about their extraordinary work.

Teachers

Teachers have challenging roles under normal circumstances. In the last few months, they’ve been asked to do that work remotely – and help all their students and their parents do the same. This extra effort has ensured that our kids remain challenged and growing during these anxious final months of the school year. We think of our niece, Meggie, who continues to support her special education students from home. We know she is putting in even more time toward curriculum planning and making sure she gives her students personal support.

thankful for teachers during teachers week

One customer wrote to us about Miss Kary, a preschool teacher. Her students miss her deeply, so she leaves chalk outside to communicate with her students. Miss Kary calls each one of them to check in on them. Celebrate Teachers Appreciation Week by reminding your children to say, “thank you” – something we can never say to our educators often enough. Get together with other class parents and send a card, a meal, maybe even a gift certificate for something special and relaxing that your kids’ teacher can use when normal life resumes.

Mothers

Ours is a family business, and in many ways a business of moms. Our mother worked alongside us for years in our floral shops. Mother-to-be, Jenna (daughter of Chris) is our Director of Customer Experience and our sister Julie, a proud mother, works on our Creative Workshops and Smile Farms.

honoring moms teachers nurses

We’ve been amazed by the outpouring of submissions and recognitions you shared for our Moms Matter Even More This Year campaign (and please keep sharing at this link). Your submissions have demonstrated that mothers have been going above and beyond these last few months.

We think about one young woman, Lyndsey, who shared that after putting her kids to bed, she goes back to sending emails. Except she will set the emails to send early the next morning, so her colleagues don’t realize the hours she’s working. Or, we think of our niece Lina, who, like so many stay-at-home moms, is holding her family together by taking care of two young children full-time while her husband, Shane, fights on the front lines of this pandemic.

Joyce, a Chief Nurse, wrote to us about how her mother instilled in her the morals and values that have given her the strength, courage, resilience, faith and compassion to lead her through these tough times.

We extend our gratitude

This week make sure you express an extra-special thank you to the mothers, teachers and nurses in your life. Even if you can’t be together, make them feel appreciated for all they do – with a family videoconference, a new recipe to try, or a memory of times when you were together in person for you all to recall.

Remember the power of a handwritten note or homemade gift. If there are kids in the family, get them involved – they could make a card, draw a poster, or design a frame around a meaningful photograph. These handcrafted items touch the heart in a special way and will be cherished for years to come.

You can also shout out your thanks publicly. Share your appreciation in an email to us or post on social media. It makes us so happy to read your stories and we would love for you to share them within our community.

Here’s to our nurses, teachers, and mothers. Let’s make time to acknowledge these three essential groups of people.

If you liked this article from 1-800-Flowers.com Founder Jim McCann, you may also like these articles from Jim’s Corner…

Support Smile Farms on Giving Tuesday

What is Giving Tuesday, you ask? Giving Tuesday is a day for you to get involved and give back in your community whether its volunteering at a food bank, donating clothing or money, hosting a fundraiser, or another awesome way to give back. In honor of Giving Tuesday, 20% of the proceeds in our special Giving Tuesday collection will go to Smile Farms, a non-profit organization that provides developmentally challenged adults with meaningful work opportunities at local farms, urban gardens, greenhouses and farm stands.

Support Smile Farms this Giving Tuesday
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