Jennifer Smisek, owner of Le Center Floral, has donated more than 200 floral arrangements to residents in assisted living communities, nursing homes and retirement homes in Le Center and surrounding areas to help brighten their day while visitations are restricted. (Photo submitted by Jennifer Smisek) She’s giving away more flowers than she’s selling, but that’s not going to stop Le Center Floral owner Jennifer Smisek. The Le Center business owner gifted more than 200 floral arrangements to assisted living residents over the past week in Le Center, Le Sueur, New Prague, Montgomery and Lonsdale. Her mission? To cheer up residents who have to live under strict quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. “My hope is that it puts a smile on their face,” said Smisek. “And I hope that when they look at them, it just brightens their day. A lot of older people can’t have visitors right now, so any type of day brightener for them can make their day go by a little faster.” The donations began just a few days after places of public accommodation were closed in an executive order by Gov. Tim Walz to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Smisek was unsure if Le Center Floral would be able to stay open and decided to put the shop’s aging flowers outside for passersby to pick up for free before they wilted. But a new shipment was coming in and with weddings and funerals canceled and postponed due to the coronavirus, Smisek realized that she couldn’t sell all of her product. Wanting to put her flowers to good use, rather than let them rot, Smisek started calling Horizon Place and Carriage House assisted living and Central Health Care nursing home in Le Center to see if she could send flowers to their residents. Jennifer Smisek […]