Telegraph photo by MATHEW PLAMONDON Organizers with the United Way of Greater Nashua will be distributing roses to homeless mothers at shelters throughout Greater Nashua on Mother’s Day, May 12. As of Tuesday, the nonprofit had raised $1,000 toward the goal of $1,500.

NASHUA – No mother deserves to go without a gift on Mother’s Day – regardless of their circumstances — that is the premise for the United Way of Greater Nashua’s Mother’s Day Roses for Local Homeless Moms initiative.

The United Way has once again partnered with UPS to purchase and donate roses to homeless mothers on Mother’s Day, May 12, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the special feeling that mothers have the right to enjoy.

United Way President Mike Apfelberg said regardless of whether the venture brings in more money than it costs in supplies, this event is more about doing the right thing.

“It’s never been a money maker,” Apfelberg said. “We have things that are fundraisers that we do throughout the year, and then there are things that we do just because it’s the right thing to do.”

With the help of UPS, who coordinated with an outside vendor, the Mother’s Day roses are delivered to the organization, and are then distributed to The Front Door Agency, Family Promise of Southern New Hampshire, Marguerite’s Place, Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter, Harbor Homes, Keystone Hall, Bridges and Mary’s House.

“Each organization has provided a list of how many moms are living with them,” Apfelberg said of how they are able to distribute to the mothers. “That ends up being a little over a hundred, in total.”

Apfelberg said he sometimes hears concerns form the community about organizers handing out roses to the mothers as opposed to something that may be a little more substantial toward addressing their needs.

While he said those concerns do not fall on deaf ears, the roses, he believes serve a purpose that other items may not come close to addressing – support for a mother’s emotional health.

“There are things we do all year long that are very practical – this is also very practical,” Apfelberg said. “It’s very practical food for the soul.”

“We think that health includes the emotional state of being,” he continued. “Mother’s Day is a very emotional day for these women.”

While United Way officials hope to get donations, Apfelberg said any amount goes a long way to providing the roses to the

shelters, with each bouquet costing $11.

Those who want to contribute can do so in one of two ways: on the fundraiser’s Facebook event page, https://www.facebook.com/donate/269514673957789/, or by donating cash or a check written out to the United Way, notifying that the money is for Mother’s Day roses.

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