BANGOR, Maine — A flower shop in Bangor encouraged people to "Petal It Forward" Wednesday.
In West Market Square, Bangor Floral employees handed out two flowers to each person who passed by.
"You keep one flower, and you pass one along and you make someone smile today," Heather Murray, Bangor Floral office manager, said.
It's part of a nationwide event organized by the Society of American Florists.
Petal It Forward has been going on for 10 years, and over 700 businesses across the country participated Wednesday.
"It's definitely the happiest day of the year. I love handing out free flowers. I love to make someone's day. That's what this is all about is spreading kindness," Murray said.
For many, this random act of kindness brightened their days.
"I felt nothing short of loved," Vlad Gordon said.
After receiving a flower, Finntin Mangalam said, "It feels really good. I wasn't expecting anything like this, brighten my day a bit."
It's the third year Bangor Floral has been surprising folks, wanting to use their flowers to connect with people.
"Being a part of people's special moments of their life and everyday moments like today, just standing here on the sidewalk, it all matters," Jenny Johnson, floral designer at Bangor Floral, said.
One of the goals of Petal It Forward is to show the health benefits of giving and receiving flowers.
"There's this one study from the University of North Florida that shows that flowers reduce stress," Kate Penn, Society of American Florists CEO, said.
According to a survey by Wakefield Research, 68 percent of Americans experience stress weekly, but even doing something small like giving out a flower can help.
"Let's create that moment of peace. You can't have too much of that today," Murray said.
Bangor Floral staff said they’re hoping to continue to spread joy and kindness.
"We don't have to be doing Petal it Forward to be able to do that anywhere, any day, any time with strangers or friends, how important that is in our everyday lives," Johnson said.
After receiving his flower, Gordon said, "It kind of reminds you that there's still some good in the world on a tough day."