Sarah LoBue, AIFD, ICPF, put a chalkboard sign outside her Carlinville, Illinois shop last week that likely spoke to everyone who saw it: “If Covid-19 has affected your mental health…TAKE ONE.” Accompanying the message was a bucket of flowers and shelves filled with small house plants, candy bars, chips and cookies.

LoBue, co-owner and creative director of Main Street Florist, had seen a similar idea celebrating Mental Health Monday on TikTok, which inspired her to bring a little joy to her community. “We think that mental health is really important, and we know that flowers (and snacks) can help,” she says.

The Aug. 16 giveaway generated a lot of positivity. Passersby happily accepted the free goodies and several people shared and praised the giveaway, hashtagged #MentalHealthMonday, on social media. LoBue repeated the promotion this week and plans to continue it each Monday for as long as weather allows. (“Pro tip — keep the chocolate in a cooler or put a sign to come inside for it,” she says. “Ours melted in no time!”)

LoBue has ample experience with giveaways. She often places a bucket outside the shop when it’s closed for a holiday, such as Memorial Day, and her team participates in the Society of American Florists’ annual Petal It Forward event.

“We love to give back to our community and show that our business is as much their neighbor as anyone else. We look out for each other and genuinely care,” she says. “It’s also a way to move some fresh product that might be past the point of selling but still have some days left to be enjoyed.”

LoBue’s approach mirrors how many Petal It Forward participants promote the national event in their communities.

“A flower for you and a flower for someone who is feeling blue. Petal It Forward can change their mood,” Julia Cain, owner of Flowers by Julia in Princeton, Illinois, told her local newspaper ahead of last year’s event. “Through the positive effects of flowers, we hope to make someone’s day brighter, and provide a much-needed moment of calm amidst the hectic pace of life.”

Eastern Floral in Grand Rapids, Michigan partnered with the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan to hand out roughly 1,600 bouquets last year. On each bouquet, the shop affixed a sticker with its social media handles and the message, “Science proves flowers make people happy. If these do the trick, show us at #petalitforward.”

Petal It Forward is happening Wednesday, Oct. 20. Visit  https://staging.safnow.org/petalitforward/ to sign up and find resources including templates for flower cards, sandwich boards and face masks; social media messages and graphics; customizable press releases; tips for generating press; and snippets from university studies that tout the health benefits of flowers.

Katie Vincent is the senior contributing editor for the Society of American Florists.