It's going to be a very special Valentine's Day for some North Carolina widows.
Dozens of volunteers are working to make sure they know they are still loved on the special day, even though their spouse isn't there to celebrate with them.
The volunteers spent the day before Valentine's Day, assembling arrangements for the widows to receive a special delivery on the holiday.
"It just warmed my heart," said volunteer Denise Klimas.
As a widow herself who lost her husband Ken to cancer, this all has special meaning.
"I walk up to a door with a bouquet of flowers, and she goes, 'did you know my husband?'" said Klimas. "And I said, 'I did not. But somebody was thinking about you. I'm a widow myself.' And I just, I could really connect with her about what she was feeling."
That is exactly why Marie Martin started the "Moms Wishing Widows Well" project.
"For Mother's Day, we did a trial to see if it would work. And we were just overwhelmed at how many people's names we got in," said Martin. "So we decided we would do it for Valentine's Day. We do have some widows that this will be their first Valentine's without their spouse."
After that first trial run in Marie's kitchen, the project has turned into the "Moms Wishing Widows Well" nonprofit with a big assembly at the Cary Senior Center.
"Our goal was to do 200 arrangements," said Martin.
The community has shown a lot of love for the nonprofit's mission. But the real treat comes on Valentine's Day when the deliveries are made.
"[The card] says 'Happy Valentine's Day. You are not alone, you are loved,'" said Martin.
The message hits home, especially for volunteers like Klimas.
"After a while, people forget about these [kinds] of occasions for people. And so what Marie is doing with this is just great. I'm probably going to be delivering tomorrow, and I get to have that same joy of seeing the smile on people's faces," said Klimas.
The group is already taking names for next year's Valentine's Day delivery.
In addition to widows, the group is also giving some arrangements to Transition Life Center and the Wake Nonprofit Passage Home, and group that helps women and families achieve housing and income security.
