Florist sells 1,015 bunches daffodils to help provide health care

Press release

Shores Floral, a Chinook floral shop, recently held a very successful fundraiser for the "Serving of Hope" fund.

Tomi Simonson, owner of Shores Floral presented Christen Obresley, vice president of regulatory and community services at Northern Montana Health Care, a check for $7,015 for the fund.

The Serving of Hop" fund was created in 2009 when the Men Who Cook for Women Who Wine event was looking for a new cause to support. That event was started in 2007 to help raise money for the Northern Montana Sletten Cancer Center.

Once the Sletten Cancer Center was built, the event's volunteers wished to continue the fun event, so the Serving of Hope fund was created. The funds are meant to help Hi-Line residents who have to travel for a serious medical condition. The Northern Montana Health Care Foundation was chosen to be the administrator of the fund. Since its inception, the fund has paid out over $316,000 to 677 patients.

"Being able to offer these funds to folks while they are experiencing a medical emergency is an unbelievable honor" said Obresley, the executive director of the Northern Montana Health Care Foundation. "When we receive an application for assistance, the family is usually in the midst of a crisis and if we can help address some of their concerns, that is invaluable."

While the Men Who Cook event no longer takes place, the Serving of Hope fund lives on through donations made by organizations along the Hi-Line.

Shores Floral started the Daffodil Fundraiser in 2019 as a way of giving back to the community. For two weeks in March, orders are taken for bunches of daffodils, a beautiful harbinger of spring. The bunches cost $10 and, of that, $7 is paid out to the Serving of Hope Fund. The NMHCF office and local community members help to augment the sales staff at Shores Floral in reaching their sales goals. This year's numbers were the highest ever.

"We were able to sell 1,015 bunches of daffodils this year," Simonson said. "That enabled Shores Floral to make a donation of $7,015 to the fund. We even had folks purchase the bunches intending them to be given out to various facilities in our area, such as the Sweet Memorial Home and the Medical/Surgical floor of Northern Montana Hospital."

Plans are underway to not only hold the daffodil fundraiser again next year, but perhaps branch out to assist other organizations with the funds raised.

For more information about the Serving of Hope Fund or for an application, people can visit https://nmhcare.org/northern-montana-health-care-foundation and clicking on "Serving of Hope Fund" under "Projects."