SCRANTON, Pa. — It's a sea of green and a flurry of activity inside Goodwill Industries of NEPA in Scranton. Volunteers are piecing together Irish-themed corsages and boutonnieres.
"Wires, babies breath, ferns, flowers, and a lot of tape. We get a little dirty, and that's okay. We enjoy it," said Kelley Laird from Fidelity Bank.
This is the 31st year that the Shamrock Heart Foundation has organized this effort to make arrangements to give to people in hospitals, senior living centers, and nursing homes around Lackawanna County. Organizers say it all started with one small gesture: bringing a flower to a loved one who was in the hospital. Over the years, it has grown so much that the organization recruits volunteers to help put together the festive arrangements.
"We're getting more and more volunteers, which helps. So we kind of finished in two days," said Jerry Gilpatrick, a member of the Shamrock Heart Foundation.
"We just love being able to get out and do something fun like the community around St. Patrick's Day. We're all Irish, and we like being able to take our heritage and do something nice," added Laird.
Over 3,000 of these carnations will go to residents in over 40 facilities that will certainly have their Irish eyes smiling.
"It's such a nice thing. I think it's just so nice to be remembered, especially on St. Patrick's Day. Irish or not, everybody is on St. Patrick's Day," said Diane Baldi, CEO of Hospice of the Sacred Heart.
The corsages and boutonnieres will be delivered on Sunday.