FAYETTE — Various flowers are in bloom throughout Fayette after a non-profit organization donated them to help beautify the community.

America Responds With Love, a company that provides products and services to people and areas in need, donated in June four pallets of flowers including azaleas, tulips and gladiolus to the City of Fayette.

Richard McDonough, president and CEO of the company, said victims of natural disasters, the company’s more frequent recipients of services, aren’t the only ones in need of assistance.

“A lot of people have this notion that you have to be hit and fall down before anyone provides assistance, and we find that kind of foolish,” McDonough said. “If there’s a local organization or area that’s wanting to make a change and all they need is the resources, we give them those resources, but they have to put in the labor and the efforts to make it work.

“That’s really how you can make a community better.”

The organization provided more than 1 million flower bulbs in 21 towns and cities in Mississippi to be planted in public areas, such as parks, schools and other public facilities, to enhance the environment.

Janell Edwards, executive director of the Fayette Community Service Organization, coordinated the project with the company and said the flowers have made a huge difference throughout the city.

“It’s amazing how much some flowers at the entrance of a building can change everything,” Edwards said. “We’ve gotten so many compliments, and it was just such an amazing thing to be a part of.”

Edwards said the organization went to pick up the flowers from Meridian in June, but the majority of the flowers weren’t planted until last week.

“The mayor and board of alderman unanimously voted to give us permission to plant the bulbs at various locations, so we’ve had community residents out assisting with the planting ever since,” Edwards said. “The transformation it did in front of our city hall is just amazing.”

McDonough said Fayette, and various other communities across Mississippi, are a perfect example of places the company is more than willing to help.

“There’s all these people wanting to make Fayette a better place and if all we have to do is provide them the resources, we’re going to do that,” McDonough said. “It’s all about helping those in need.”

For more information about America Responds With Love, visit www.respondwithlove.org.