"This year, with the pandemic, it has been especially difficult for ourselves and we noticed that members in our community were really struggling with their mental health," Lynch said. "So WpgFreePlants was kind of born out of the idea that we wanted to provide more access for people in our community to plants for their mental health." The pair started the account in September and held their first giveaway on Oct. 10, which also happens to be World Mental Health Day. Lynch and Reyes used their own money to rent a space for the giveaway, and also collected donations which were given to the Canadian Mental Health Association and Sunshine House. After the success of their first giveaway, WpgFreePlants is partnering with therapist Lana Hastings to create an exchange program where clients can take home plants in Hastings office.

Source: CBC News December 30, 2020 12:00 UTC