PRESS RELEASE Father’s Day plants offer chance to help people experiencing homelessness

People in Oklahoma City will be offered a chance to purchase plants for the special men in their lives this Father’s Day while also supporting people who are working their way out of homelessness.

The Curbside Chronicle is creating succulent arrangements that will be made and sold at pop-up shops by vendors who are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. This is their first time to do a Father’s Day campaign following several successful Valentine’s and Mother’s Day flower campaigns.

The Curbside Chronicle, a program of the Homeless Alliance, provides both a voice and employment opportunities to people who are experiencing homelessness through the sale of its local magazine. In recent years, the program has expanded its product line to include local artist-designed wrapping paper and flower bouquets.

For Father’s Day, Curbside vendors are being trained and paid to build succulent arrangements practicing job skills like teamwork, communication and how to follow detailed instructions. They are then employed to sell the arrangements around town at various pop-up shops, exercising time management and social skills. After vendors are paid for their work, profits from sales are reinvested in the vendor program, funding essential services like case management for participants.

“Dads can be hard to shop for,” said Ranya O'Connor, director of The Curbside Chronicle. “This is a creative way to show him that you care while giving the gift of empowerment to someone in Oklahoma City who is working to make their situation better.”

The Curbside Chronicle will have succulents available for purchase at booths located at DNA Galleries in The Plaza District, the Wheeler District in Oklahoma City and Citizens Bank of Edmond in downtown Edmond June 19-21. All proceeds from booth purchases will support The Curbside Chronicle’s mission of employing and empowering people transitioning out of homelessness in Oklahoma City.

Succulents can be pre-ordered at www.CurbsideFlowers.org and picked-up at one of the pop-up booths. Due to COVID-19, safety protocols will be followed at the pop-up shops to maintain a safe shopping experience for customers and vendors.

The campaign is being made possible thanks to the generosity of sponsors including Fowler Automotive, Citizens Bank of Edmond, Verbode and the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.

Future Flower Shop Location Announced

In 2019, The Curbside Chronicle was presented with a donation from The Great Idea Challenge, a grant competition hosted by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in honor of their 50th anniversary. More than 80 entries were narrowed down to six winners, including Curbside.

The grant was the initial gift toward a traditional brick-and-mortar flower shop that will employ people transitioning out of homelessness year-round. Curbside is currently seeking additional donations to make this happen and has plans to open the flower shop in August.

The Curbside Flowers will be located at 522 N. Classen Blvd and will operate as a full service flower shop providing delivery, pre-orders, a small retail shop and event floral.

Donations to help with the opening of the flower shop can be made on their website. The organization will also be launching a Go Fund Me campaign this summer to help collect donations to purchase a floral delivery vehicle and equipment for the shop.

For more information about The Curbside Chronicle, visit them on Facebook, Instagram or at www.TheCurbsideChronicle.org. For more information about the Father’s Day campaign, visit www.CurbsideFlowers.org.