ShareingLoveThruFlowers Movement Brings Smiles

Friday Night Pizza

– IN THE CALDWELLS — Feeds Hundreds

Angela DiSciascio Gregg of Pine Brook has come up with a novel way to help the food insensitive via a program she started called Friday Night Pizza, where people can both request and sponsor pizzas. The other goal is to support local pizzerias in the Caldwells. She hopes the idea catches on and that other towns start doing it too.

It all began one night at the start of March 2021, when after sending a pizza to a friend, Angela, and her husband Glenn, realized that “others in need might also enjoy receiving a warm pizza and having a relaxing night in with family.” Angela posted her idea on a local Caldwells Facebook page thinking she would organize it once; however, it snowballed, and now she is organizing meals every Friday night. Large families can order more than one pie.

By mid-March, 90 families received warm meals, with 180 sponsors signed up to help.

Angela expects the numbers to continue growing weekly.

Angela’s friend, Aaren Picciuto, created a Facebook page called @familypizzanight and separate forms to be filled out by recipients and sponsors. “Sometimes, people are too shy to ask for help,” says Angela. “To keep it anonymous, those sponsoring or receiving never know one another’s names.”

Angela does not handle any money. She simply pairs sponsors and recipients, and coordinates orders and payments with them and the restaurants.

“Coordinating this takes a lot of work, but is so worth it,” says Angela, who works daily in sales.

Angela’s inbox has been flooded with touching letters of gratitude. She says, “It is one thing to know you are doing good, but to see the result is amazing.”

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#SHARINGLOVETHRUFLOWERS

Movement Brings Smiles During Period of Uncertainty

Since August 2020, locals have been receiving anonymous vases of flowers on their doorsteps. At first, it was a mystery, but now most people know Christy Sanborn, the founder of the #sharinglovethruflowers movement, or her daughter, Leena Evans, put them there. The goal is to make people smile.

Christy says, “I love being around flowers because they are so beautiful. They are pure love.”

Since starting, Christy has delivered over 400 bouquets. People are nominated via sharinglovethruflowers.com. She never says, “No.” If the recipient is not within driving distance, she sends flowers via 1-800-Flowers. When the pandemic hit and people were cooped up, Christy says she began handling around 40-50 deliveries a week. “It felt great to know I was making people happy at a time when there was so much uncertainty. People needed hope. They still do.”

Christy never asks for money; however, some people donate via Venmo, or offer to let her pick flowers from their gardens. She also buys flowers at Farmers Markets. No one is allowed to pay for what they send; rather, donations go into a pool for future flowers. Vases arrive with Christy's contact information, but recipients never know who sent them. People donate vases too. Creating the arrangements herself has led to Christy’s decision to open up a florist shop in Livingston next year, where for every bouquet purchased, one will be paid forward.

Christy, a hair stylist and inspirational guidance coach, is living her best life, by making others smile.

Photo by ArtbyCorie

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