Growing Kindness: Volunteers Prepare Mother’s Day Plants for Seniors

By Ginger DeShaney

The mother-daughter duo of Karen O’Leary and Nichole Mikshenas are regulars at the Lynch Campaign Mother’s Day Plant Night.

Karen has been volunteering for this annual event for 21 years. “It’s fun,” said the Southie resident. “It feels like we’re doing something good.”

A room full of volunteers gathered at Plumbers Local 12 Union Hall in Dorchester Wednesday night, May 4, to wrap foil around 7,000 plants and prepare them for delivery to seniors across the area.

“This is great,” Congressman Stephen Lynch said as he looked out over the room. “They’ve got it down to a science. It takes just a couple of hours.”

That’s thanks in large part to Nick Zaferakis, the organizer/coordinator. This Mother’s Day event has been going on for about 27 years, Nick said.

Volunteers come back year after year because it’s fun and rewarding and it makes people happy. Hugs are plentiful and the laughter is contagious on Plant Night.

“I think the volunteers get as much out of it as the seniors do,” the Congressman said.

When Plant Night started, volunteers delivered to about five senior developments. Today, they deliver to 21 towns and three cities. “It went over so big,” Lynch said.

Volunteers dropped off the plants Thursday, May 5. It’s a given that many of the seniors will gleefully show the delivery people how much their previous plants have grown.

A lot of seniors don’t have kids or their kids live far away, so this act of kindness means so much to them, the Congressman said. “People are so appreciative.”