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Pandemic claims Portland nonprofit that delivered flower bouquets to patients for 13 years

The Bloom Project has delivered an estimated 282,000 bouquets to patients in Portland, central Oregon and San Francisco.

PORTLAND, Ore — The Bloom Project, a Portland-based nonprofit that's been delivering flower bouquets to sick and dying patients for more than a decade, announced Wednesday it was forced to close permanently because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Over the past 13 years, the organization delivered an estimated 282,000 bouquets to patients in Portland, central Oregon and San Francisco. 

As the pandemic pushes into its eighth month with no end in sight, The Bloom Project's board of directors voted to dissolve the organization because of the circumstances. 

"Voting to dissolve the organization was an extremely difficult decision for the board,” said Heidi Berkman, founder of The Bloom Project. “As with other Oregon establishments, The Bloom Project has been temporarily shut down since mid-March due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Without a definitive timeline for when an effective vaccine will be readily available and accepted, the board has determined that we can best serve our community by donating remaining supplies and funds in accordance with our mission focus.”

The Bloom Project has partnered with local and regional hospice and palliative care organizations as well as floral wholesalers, grocers and florists to create fresh floral bouquets to deliver to patients.

This work couldn't have been done without the organization's volunteers, who in the past 13 years have donated more than 137,000 hours of their time. 

As required by Oregon state law, all of The Bloom Project’s assets will be distributed to one or more hospice and palliative care organizations during the next three to six months.

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