Sarah Lunstrum was bent over the deep sink in the dining area at Interfaith vigorously rinsing out last week’s residue from the bright green, square-shaped vases when I came in to see what lovely bouquets she’d brought for us this week. Sarah is the flower farmer at Dream Farm Flowers. She and husband, Russ Stoddard, bought a little slice of urban farm paradise two years ago in the Collister neighborhood that had been on the 2016 Botanical Garden Tour. Back then it was a veggie farm but with much work, and a lot of love, it’s been transformed into flowers. They chose to make this change because there’s not a lot of local flower growers, and “I like flowers better,” Sarah proclaims matter-of-factly.

Sarah works for the Boise School District but growing flowers starts well before school is released for the summer. In the spring often she’s out in the dark at 4:00 a.m. planting and preparing for the growing season ahead. In the summer, she might get to sleep in a tad but is usually amongst the blossoms bright and early to beat the heat.

Benevolence is built into the business plan of Dream Farm Flowers with the goal of donating half the flowers grown. Currently each week Ronald McDonald House, Create Common Good and Interfaith Sanctuary all benefit from this generosity.

To fund the donation side, the other half are sold, often to DIY party planners and brides. Or sign up for the CSA (community supported agriculture) equivalent and receive a fresh flower bouquet each week for 16 weeks spanning from June through September. Sarah is also available to do table bouquets for corporate events or restaurants. All the flowers are grown with the environmental impact in mind and no pesticides are used.

When I saw this quote I thought it was a really nice connection between what Sarah does and the hope we have for all our guests here at Interfaith.

“Every flower must grow through dirt.” – Laurie Jean Sennott

Thank you to Sarah for adding beauty and cheer to our space.