When you order a meal or groceries off a delivery app, an unexpected item may feel like a mistake. For a few people in Bend, that extra item is a “get well” gift from a complete stranger.
“Whoever this person is, is doing a wonderful gesture,” said Dalia Martinez, a Bend Resident.
For Martinez, contracting pneumonia a month and a half ago was devastating.
“It was really hard to be off of work and deal with it,” Martinez said.
So she ordered cough drops, cold medicine, and orange juice from a delivery app.
One extra item arrived too.
“When they dropped it off it had a small bouquet of flowers, and when I saw that I thought it was a mistake,” Martinez said.
Daisy bouquet in hand, Martinez messaged her DoorDash driver, Rene.
“And then I got a message from my DoorDasher saying ‘Hope you get better, Rene,’” Martinez said.
Though the flowers eventually wilted, the good will did not.
“Then my son got sick a week and a half later,” Martinez said.
Martinez ordered medicine again, got the same delivery person, and guess what?
“And when I told him he got flowers too, he was really really happy about it. He said ‘I got flowers mom,'” Martinez said.
Another bouquet bought by Rene.
MORE CENTRAL OREGON KINDNESS: Prineville man who walked 33 miles to work gifted car from total stranger
And the Martinez’s aren’t the only people receiving petals.
“Our groceries showed up and there were flowers in it,” said Rivka Gluck, another Bend Resident “And I was a little confused.”
Gluck and her boyfriend ordered medicine after catching COVID-19.
Same Rene, same gift, same message from the receiver.
“She sees that someone’s sick so she puts a bouquet of flowers in there so they know she’s thinking of them,” Gluck said.
Gluck posted the roses she got on Facebook, where community members swarmed the post with love, including Martinez sharing her story.
“I saw on Facebook that someone else got to encounter this gesture and I think it’s the sweetest thing,” Martinez said.
Only one mystery remains: who is Rene?
For security reasons, DoorDash would not provide either woman with Rene’s contact information and messages through the app delete after a certain time period.
“It was super sweet so I’d love to meet this person,” Martinez said.
“Some random stranger out there who still does good deeds like that, it really inspired me to do nicer things for people,” Gluck said.
Sprouting up to give strangers flowers and help to heal.
“This is the Central Oregon I grew up with,” Martinez said “Everyone is helping each other.”
Rene, if you’re reading this, we would love to meet you and give you a bouquet! Please email info@centraloregondaily.com or call (541) 749-5151.
