Man Gives Out Roses To Widows And Military Wives Every Valentine’s Day To Make Them Smile

While it seems like everything in the news lately is full of doom and gloom, there’s finally a positive story to report! An incredibly thoughtful Washington man didn’t let COVID-19 keep him from participating in his favorite Valentine’s Day pastime: handing out roses to widows and military wives to make their day that little bit brighter. Seth Stewart, 29 and from Spokane, has been doling out flowers for the last eight years and 2021 was no different. How lovely is this gesture?

1. He started the tradition with his two brothers. They initially devised the plan to hand out flowers to their single friends who might be feeling lonely on Valentine’s Day. However, once word got around in the community, they started getting requests for flowers to be given to other people who would appreciate them, and things grew from there, CNN reports.
2. These days, Stewart and his brothers hand out nearly 550 flowers. The idea has gotten so popular that they had to hire drivers to deliver them all over town on the big day. They take requests via their Rose Rush Facebook page, where people write in to say who they think should get a rose and why. “Some of the stories are so touching,” Stewart recalled of a recent message to a widow. “No matter how bad you are feeling there is always someone thinking about you.”
3. All the roses are completely free. Stewart doesn’t charge for the roses at all, and anyone who requests a rose will get one, no questions asked. That’s because so many of the recipients are on their own, whether because their partners have sadly passed away or because they’re single. Flowers are also brought to women whose husbands are deployed overseas in the military. “Every single year we do this, there are always one or two women who break down sobbing because it means so much to them,” Stewart said.
4. There are some women he delivers flowers to every year. Stewart says there are three or four women whose stories particularly touched him and to whom he delivers roses every year. And, of course, there are a couple more repeat customers: his mom and sisters.