Friendships can form in the most unlikely ways and for nearly two decades, a local flower shop and fire department have taken care of each other all while showing the community they aren’t forgetting soldiers who are serving our country. 

Protecting freedom comes at a price.

The folks at Sugar and Spice Florist and the Brazil Fire Department want to show their gratitude to those who serve and they do that with a simple yellow ribbon.

It’s an uncommon friendship.

One between a florist and a fire department.

“It depends on how long [and] how much they take the trucks out and if they’re in the wind very much,” says Vickie Mace, florist.  

First appearing after 9/11, you’ll always see large yellow ribbons on Brazil fire trucks. 

“We have our freedoms because someone fights for us,” says Mace. “I think it’s always very important to remember that.” 

“We’ve never had to go get a ribbon,” says Tobey Archer, asst. chief, Brazil Fire Department. “She’s always brought them over on her own and made that that symbol for a safe return for our troops serving over seas is kept up.” 

The war on terror is still being fought, even by men and women from the Wabash Valley. 

“We even had a soldier that was a POW and he was in North Korea,” says Mace. “He got to come home and be buried, I think like 50 or 60-years so that was a big deal that we got him back home.”

The friendship between a Brazil florist and a fire department will continue on for as long as it matters. 

“I think those kind of big differences can be made in small towns like that, like Brazil,” says Archer. “That kind of support is shown by our local businesses.”

“We just do it because it’s the right thing to do,” says Mace. “If we can do that little part to keep those remembrances alive then that’s what we need to do as a citzen.”

The Brazil Fire Department consists of some veterans, like Tobey Archer, who wanted to show support for those serving. 

The added support from Sugar and Spice Florist was just a nice surprise and also a way for them to show their support as well. 

This support isn’t just meant for soldiers.

It’s also a way to show support for their local first responders who also put their own lives on the line when responding to calls.