Valentine’s Day Flowers Put Together With Extra Love At Edison Flower Shop
February 13, 2015 | CBS Local Original article | Article.pdf
Valentine’s Day Flowers Put Together With Extra Love At Edison Flower Shop
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — For one flower shop, the bouquets are put together and sent out with a lot of extra love.
It’s the busiest time of the year at Vaseful Flower Shop in Edison, N.J.
Darius and Jose pay close attention as they place the finishing touches on an arrangement, CBS2’s Alex Denis reported.
To them, it’s not just another Valentine’s Day order — they’re made with love — for your love — by very capable hands.
At Vaseful, people with disabilities receive job training while earning a paycheck for their hard work all thanks to a grant from the Kessler Foundation — a charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with physical and mental disabilities, Denis reported.
“We try to concentrate on what people can do rather than what they can’t do,” said Steven Verba, Managing Director of the Community Options Inc.
And, they can do a lot.
“I make sure they’re even all around,” said Audrey.
When it comes time to arrange the flowers, Audrey, in particular, has great attention to detail. Even water temperature matters to her.
It’s passion like this that earned these employees the right to work side-by-side professional florists, Denis reported.
For Darius, it didn’t come easy. “I don’t know a thing about flowers.”
But it’s fair to say the job and his new friends grew on him. “I’ll admit in the amount of time I’ve spent working here, I now consider you family.”
And, as his new family carefully fills orders, they’re thinking about yours.
“I wonder who the people are and what they think about the arrangements when they’re all finished,” said Darius.
The beautiful arrangements at Vaseful start at just $25 and 100 percent of sales go back into the operation.
If you don’t live near Edison, you can order online.