06/10/2026
✨Vendor Spotlight: Blooms and Blessings for Hope✨
Blooms & Blessings for Hope is a student initiated fundraiser, led by high school junior, Kate Bukta. Her project raises funds for the Cleveland County Abuse Prevention Council (APC), a local organization that serves victims of domestic violence in Cleveland County. She shared, “My mom has been on the board of the Cleveland County Abuse Prevention Council for a while, and she was telling me they were short on funds. I was trying to figure out what to do to help. I kept thinking about the garden we have at home. What if we sold the flowers we already had to make a difference?”
Kate’s mother, Michelle Roberts, had the farming experience and passion to support her daughter in her vision. Michelle got serious about growing vegetables in 2020. She began with an 800 square foot garden and has expanded each year. She now grows on ¾ of an acre in diversified vegetable production. Her farm business - Growing the Good Life - is based on chemical free gardening. To learn more about Growing the Good Life and their farming practices, visit their educational blog at: www.growingthegoodlife.net/ Or, visit their online shop at www.growing-the-good-life.localline.ca to order directly from the farm.
Michelle shared, “When Kate approached me with her idea, it really resonated. APC offers court advocacy and provides up to 90 days of shelter for victims of domestic violence. A lot of people don’t want to talk about domestic violence and it becomes difficult to fundraise for.” The mother-daughter duo have found their flower bouquets to be an uplifting way for community members to support APC’s funding, while providing hope and beauty. Kate shared, “Beauty has a job to do in this world. It softens hard things. It tells people they matter. It makes a Saturday morning feel like a fresh start.” The conversations Kate and Michelle are having with their customers and the broader community are also helping alleviate the stigma associated with domestic violence. As more dialogue is generated in the community, more people will feel supported in seeking the help they need.
Blooms & Blessings for Hope recently launched a sponsorship campaign. Sponsors have an opportunity to support the mission at four levels - Seed, Stem, Bloom, & Hometown Patron. Sponsorship tiers are designed to be accessible to businesses of every size, from a one-person practice to a multi-location company. Individuals and families can also contribute to the Blooms & Blessings community with multiple tiers of support. One hundred percent of net proceeds go directly to the Abuse Prevention Council of Cleveland County. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, visit www. growing-the-good-life.localline.ca/bloomsandblessings and choose the “sponsorships” tab on the left.
We are thrilled that Kate and Michelle will be at our hometown market throughout the 2026 season! In addition to the flower bouquets that are at the heart of the Blooms & Blessings fundraiser, they also offer plant starts and a variety of produce from Growing the Good Life. To stay up to date on their fundraiser and farm offerings follow them on social media: Blooms and Blessings for Hope & Growing the Good Life Farmstand.
