All 300,000 graves at Arlington National Cemetery had flower placed on its headstone for Memorial Day on May 29.
“This outpouring of support shows the patriotic spirit of so many Americans,” Ramiro Penaherrera, told Stars & Stripes last week. He is the executive director of The Memorial Day Flowers Foundation, the nonprofit organization in charge of the annual practice of placing flowers at the graves for the holiday.
In the week before Memorial day, the foundation said that they only had enough money to place flowers on about half of the military graves at the cemetery, but the foundation has received an influx of donations in the last several days before Memorial Day, including help from importers in the flower industry. Various florists have sent flowers to Arlington for the foundation’s Flowers of Remembrance Day on Sunday.
In this video below, an impression of the day at Arlington National Cemetery
US Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. Every year, veterans are honored. For the last 11 years, the nonprofit foundation Memorial Day Flowers placed flowers and bouquets on the graves of the veterans at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC, one of the most famous cemeteries in the country.
CalFlowers, for example, is the largest partner and sponsor. But also Flowers of Colombia is an annual sponsor. "In fact, 96% of the flowers (a mix of all varieties) are provided by California and Colombia. The Foundation uses all types of focals, fillers, and line flowers", Memorial Day Flowers Foundation reports.
Also, importers from Miami are generous in their support of the flower placement. "Many of these importers sponsor certain sections/graves. (Similar to how the graves at Margraten are "adopted” by Dutch families). "
Last year, the foundation placed 280,000 roses and bouquets on the 280,000 gravesites and 10,000 roses at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC.
For more information
Memorial Day Flowers Foundation
www.memorialdayflowers.org