Behind the Blooms
"Flowers for Food" Fundraiser
Thursday, December 18, 2008






How could Tiger Lily best support a great organization, the Lowcountry Food Bank? I cut them a check already, but surely there was something else we could do. The Lowcountry Food Bank (LCFB) feeds thousands of folks everyday, between Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head. Many of those folks are children. Kids who would otherwise go to bed hungry, everyday. I don't like that, not in my town!

So we came up with the idea of teaching a flower design class and donating all the proceeds to the LCFB. We held the class at the Food Bank, so folks can see and appreciate the new facility and the great challenge.

We teach flower design courses throughout the year for Trident Technical College. They sell out quickly and have a waiting list. We hoped some of that demand would fuel a good turnout. Clara taught the class, Tiger Lily employees DD, Robin, Nicole and Brenda volunteered their time to help out. Several of our vendors stepped up and donated their flowers at no charge. Way to go folks we really appreciate it. Remember, some of these farms are overseas and look up to the U.S. as the "land of plenty". For them to donate to us is kind of like us donating to GM or Chrysler....oh wait a second, forget about that analogy.

Anyway these generous donations enabled us to give 100% of the proceeds to the LCFB. The money raised created 6,000 meals!

The best part of it was that the participants made and kept two killer holiday arrangments each! Most of the folks were novices and never made an arrangement before. Once they got over their initial hesitations they did great! They taped vases, greened, then added the flowers. Clara made model arrangements for them to follow. Some followed them perfectly, others quickly went in their own direction. All turned out great. I think their favorite part was throwing the leaves and cut stems on the floor.

In the photos above, it is easy to see the stoke of the participants. The photo on the left includes a group that came from Wild Wing Cafe corporate office. I'm a big fan of Wild Wing, both as a diner, and as a business owner. I really look up to them as a business inspiration. Great food, great service, great business model, everyday. They make all of their stuff at each restaurant: sauces, dressings, salsas, etc. That committment to quality is apparent everytime I sit down to a 25 wing sampler.

We kind of slammed this event together at the last minute, but it was good for a first time. I would like to try it again, give ourselves a couple months to promote it, and get 50 people there. If we hold 4 a year we would raise $10,000 for the LCFB. That's our goal. Not bad for a little flower shop. We would also show folks what the LCFB is all about.

Things are tough all over, and I dont' want to get "preachy". If you get a chance to help someone this holiday season, go for it. You'll be the one who benefits the most.

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Posted by Manny Gonzales
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Keeping It Real
Tuesday, December 2, 2008

It's been a tough year for a lot of folks. We've all had headaches and drama, but some people have it real bad.
Earlier this year I became involved with the Lowcountry Food Bank through a mutual friend, Mark Smith. Mark is a partner in the McAlister-Smith Funeral Home chain here in Charleston. Mark is a great guy, hard worker, smart, and runs a real successful business. Like me, he is also raising a family and trying to balance it all. When he invited me to be on the Board of Directors for the LCFB, he assured me it was a special opportunity. Because of my respect for him, I told him I would check it out.
I've served on boards before, and find that I'm just not cut out for it. Things move too slowly, too few people are active, things get off on tangents, the politics involved, and overall I just find it a frustrating experience. Not so with the LCFB.
From the first board meeting, I realized I was sitting in a room with a bunch of overacheivers. The board is made up of folks from all walks of life, but they all have one thing in common: They get it DONE. From preparing the financial statements, to filling at-risk school kids backpacks with food for the weekend, to the new multi-million distribution facility, it's getting DONE. For a guy like me, that's real inspiring. So to see these people rocking and rolling, well it challenged me to take action. But what could a flower shop owner do?
I was in the process of having our four delivery vehicles graphics re-worked. Driving down the I-26 one day, I saw a billboard for the LCFB stating "Together we can end hunger in the lowcountry". I thought it was a great sign, and was surprised I hadn't seen it before. Then I realized that I was on a section of highway I just don't drive very often. I thought it would be great if I could put it on one of our vans and create a moving billboard. Craig McLaughlin of McLaughlin Design created the lay-out, donating his time and expertise. Matt Brooks of Fast Signs jumped on board and did it at a discount. Again, it was inspiring how these folks just stepped up and made it happen. Now this van is on the road 40 hours a week, spreading the word. It won't change the world, but it might help just a bit.
We came up with another opportunity to help the LCFB. As you may know, we teach many flower design classes at Tiger Lily through Trident Technical College. They are very successful, and quickly sell out with a waiting list. We wanted to use that pent-up demand to help the LCFB.
On December 16th, we are holding a one night Tiger Lily Holiday Flower Design Class to benefit the LCFB. We hope to have 50 people at the new LCFB Center. Each will donate $50 to the LCFB, roll up their sleeves, and create their own fresh flower holiday arrangement valued at $100. Clara and the rest of our award-winning design team will be on hand to instruct. We will donate our time, flowers and other product, with the help of several of our vendors. It should be a high-energy, fun evening raising $2,500 for the LCFB. We would love to hold at least four per year, with an overall annual contribution of $10,000. That will fill a lot of backpacks with food.
This year Paul Hulsey committed to a $1 Million donation to the LCFB. He is a very successful local lawyer, who grew up with personal experiences of hunger. What a story. Anita Zucker committed a $500,000 donation. The Zucker family has long been an inspiration to me and Clara. Everyone in Charleston knows them as probably the most successful business people in our community. It's no secret that are on the list of the world's billionaires. I've had the oppotunity to speak with them a couple of times and it was easy to see what they are all about. It is NOT business, money, or stuff. It IS family, children and education. That's keeping it real.
Not all of us can cut a check for a hundred grand, but we can do something. We'll start with a moving billboard and a flower design fund raiser and see where it takes us.

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Posted by Manny Gonzales
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