Out of nothing you can make something amazing,” Lila Cruikshank says as she shows what Gifts from Gran’s Garden is all about. She swiftly fashions a miniature bouquet from a nearby pot: “This is what goes on the trays at Meals on Wheels.” She has proved her point in mere moments.

After her mother’s passing in August 2006, Cruikshank stood around her dining-room table watching family and friends make flower arrangements for the funeral. It was then that the idea for Gifts from Gran’s Garden began to grow. “These flowers became symbols of our love,” she says. “Instead of sitting in a garden, the flowers helped. My mom was always helping others.”

Gifts from Gran’s Garden began through Senior Services in March 2007 with a core group of dedicated volunteers. It has since blossomed in size thanks to local gardening clubs. Volunteers meet twice a month to make bouquets that are placed on trays and delivered to the homebound through Meals on Wheels and Senior Services programs.

Each volunteer brings his or her own flowers and fabric to wrap around the stems of their creations. “The program really costs nothing, and the volunteers love it because I always say there is no right, no wrong, and no critique,” she says.

Flowers may seem like a simple gesture, Cruikshank explains, but “lots of ministering is done through flowers. They bring back many happy memories.”