CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jillian Myers is aware of the devastation of shedding a husband and feeling alone and empty, significantly on Valentine’s Day.
Her husband, Jason Myers, was working as a meteorologist for a North Carolina tv station when he died in a helicopter crash in 2022, abandoning his spouse of 19 years and 4 youngsters.
“As a widow, you often don’t feel seen,” Myers, 42, stated of the vacation. “You don’t feel appreciated. You don’t feel the warmth and the love that your person would express.”
She is amongst a rising variety of volunteers who ship items to widows and widowers by way of the Valentine’s Day Widow Outreach Venture. The motion began in 2021 within the driveway of a Charlotte flower store proprietor’s dwelling and has grown every year.
The challenge on Friday deliberate to succeed in 1,500 individuals within the Charlotte space who’ve misplaced a partner, whereas related efforts are underway in Houston, Nashville, Pittsburgh and different cities. Presents vary from wine and sweet to flowers and jewellery.
“You kind of resign yourself to this is how life is going to be — my person’s gone, and it’s never going to be the same,” stated Myers, who lives outdoors of Charlotte and beforehand obtained items by way of the challenge. “And it’s true, it’s by no means the identical.
“But when someone sees you and expresses such compassion for you and you’re the recipient of that, it’s such a heartwarming feeling,” she continued. “It’s so touching, and you can’t help but want to pay it forward — especially for women that you also know exactly how they’re feeling.”
The challenge was began by Ashley Manning, who owns the Charlotte flower store Fairly Issues by A.E. Manning. The essential thought emerged years in the past, after her son’s preschool instructor talked about to Manning that she had misplaced her husband to most cancers.
“I could tell it still hurt her,” Manning stated.
The next Valentine’s Day, Manning purchased flowers, chocolate and a card for the girl. Months later, she instructed Manning, “I just want you to know how much that meant to me.”