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Written by Amanda Ryder
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April 15, 2008 - A recent article
in the Globe and Mail told the story of TJ Walker, a man who sells
flowers on the streets of Vancouver and helped found the Flowers for
Food program.
The flowers that he sells are donated by Make Scents, a Vancouver-area
flower distributer. The company donates damaged blooms, bouquets that
aren't good enough for retailers to sell or flowers that were returned
to the wholesaler because retailers were unable to sell them.
Each day, TJ stands on the side of the road and sells the flowers for
whatever his customer wants to pay. As a result of these flower sales,
TJ was able to get his first home after 11
years on the streets and has become drug-free. He's helped found
Flowers for Food and has recruited others to help him run the program
on the condition that those involved are also drug-free.
Essentially, TJ is selling blooms
that you would consider garbage in your shop. What's your viewpoint on this story? Do you believe he's helping to increase public consumption by allowing more people to enjoy flowers? Would you like to see a similar program come to your area, and would you participate in the program?
Or, on the flip side, is this potentially leaving
consumers with a bad floral experience as the flowers aren't likely to
last? Have your say by commenting on this blog.
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