A cause close to the family’s heart

1-800-Flowers.com is a US floral and foods gift retailer and distribution company with a clear mission – to 'deliver smiles'. While the company is publicly owned and traded, it's still very family focused. In 2014, the business acquired food and gift producer and retailer, Harry & David.

Harry and David ran a not-for-profit foundation that helped agricultural workers in the community. Its work inspired Jim McCann and his brother, Chris, to do something similar. "Harry & David staff volunteer their time, and we were amazed at the wonderful things they do," said Jim. "We wanted to put our time, talent and energy into a charity that's special and important to us."

But which cause would they choose? "Our brother, Kevin, was born with developmental disabilities and, at that time, there was very little support. He now lives in a wonderful group home, run by Independent Group Home Living (IGHL), a Long Island-based organization. Its executive director, Walter Stockton, told us about the trouble many developmentally disabled people have finding jobs."

That was the eureka moment. The McCann family would set up a philanthropic organization to support, train and employ people like their brother, Kevin.

Jim and his family had never set up anything like this before. But help was at hand. IGHL, partner agencies and volunteers rallied round to get the initiative off the ground – and 'Smile Farms' launched in 2015.

In the early days, 1-800-Flowers.com wasn't sure how public it should be about Smile Farms, and why it was so close to the family's heart. Should they shout about the project from the rooftops? Or let it run quietly behind the scenes?

Over time, 1-800-Flowers.com warmed to the idea of putting Smile Farms and the family’s commitments to the fore: "What's really changed is our perception of what our community and customers want and expect from us. So we presented our work to the public."

Going public ignited more opportunities than the business could have imagined. New partners and backers got in touch, sparking new projects. And a stronger culture of good and loyalty blossomed among customers and staff: "I wish we'd been more open earlier about our commitments. We didn't realize the benefits that would come from this."

Smile Farms enjoys the support of experts who help bring its mission to life: "We work with around ten partner agencies. They've provided the expertise we needed to design and launch a new training program for our people."

Today, Smile Farms has grown to ten campuses, offering employment, training and education to 250 people with developmental disabilities. And it's brought the family closer together: "It's been a glue. The next generation is very involved, and we've been able to share our values, and appreciate the importance of staying connected."