When Olympic medalist Gabby Thomas isn’t blazing past the competition on the track, she’s sprinting toward something equally powerful: compassion. The Harvard-educated sprinter and public health advocate has teamed up with Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day to lead the charge for the third year of the brand’s Lots of Compassion initiative—a movement transforming vacant lots across the U.S. into blooming community gardens.
And it’s more than just planting flowers. It’s about healing spaces and spirits through green spaces, love, and collective action.
I had the chance to sit down with Gabby for an intimate conversation at the Waverly Inn in Manhattan, NY about the initiative. We discussed why it speaks to her on a personal level, and how she hopes it inspires the next generation to grow with purpose.
“Gabby, this is such a powerful partnership,” I asked. “Why does this initiative mean so much to you?”
She didn’t hesitate.
“It means so much to me because I always align with brands that I believe are true to my values. And growing up, my mother always taught me to leave a place better than you found it, and we need so much compassion in this world. Now more than ever. So something like this, these type of initiatives are so important to the world and for our communities,” she told me.
Gabby is no stranger to impact. Off the track, she holds a neurobiology and global health degree from Harvard and a master’s in epidemiology from the University of Texas. Her academic and athletic achievements have made her a respected voice in the public health space, especially when it comes to advocating for underserved communities.
“My mom always told me to leave a place better than I found it, so I’m excited to join Mrs. Meyer’s to cultivate compassion in our communities by turning vacant lots into gardens for change,” she added. “Health and wellbeing are very important to me, and when I’m not on the track, I’m focused on making a difference by volunteering in my community health clinic. Connecting all these elements – the power of community, compassion and green space – is what makes Lot of Compassion so special and impactful.”
This message couldn’t come at a better time. According to national stats, 90% of Americans want to support their communities, but only 1 in 4 actually take action. Even more telling, participation in local events and volunteer work has dropped from 50% to just 30% over the past decade. In today’s fast-paced world, the Lots of Compassion program offers something rare: a simple, beautiful way to turn good intentions into action.
Since its start in 2023, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day has helped transform more than 70,000 square feet of land, impacting over 45,000 community members from Chicago to Pahoa, Hawaii. With the goal of reaching 110,000 people by 2027, the brand is committed to making compassion a movement, not a moment.
For anyone looking to get involved, the opportunities are just as thoughtful as the gardens themselves:
- Shop with purpose: For every Compassion Flower Hand Soap sold at MrsMeyers.com, Walmart, and Walmart.com, $1 will be donated (up to $200K annually) to support garden grants.
- Apply for a grant: If you’re a nonprofit or community organization transforming vacant land into community gardens, applications are now open through June 15, 2025, via KidsGardening.org.
- Visit the pop-up: The Mrs. Meyer’s Compassion Store is coming to Chicago in June, where compassion is currency—literally. Acts of kindness are exchanged for garden-inspired products to help spread compassion at home.
And the soul of the campaign? That’s the Compassion Flower—a one-of-a-kind bloom designed in collaboration with horticulturalists at PanAmerican Seed, combining the spread of a viola with the color pop of a pansy. Its bright lemon and violet scent is the backbone of the Compassion Flower product line, a fragrant reminder that kindness, like cleanliness, should be part of the daily routine.
This movement has already sparked real change in cities like Detroit, Baltimore, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Columbus, with grants awarded to grassroots organizations like Civic Works, Erie Food Policy Advisory Council, and Umoja Community Gardens. Each space tells a story of transformation—not just of land, but of lives.
When I asked Gabby what she hopes her impact will be through this partnership, she leaned in thoughtfully.
“Health, compassion, and connection are all linked. If we can grow that in our communities, we can grow that in ourselves. That’s what this work is about.”
In a time when the world feels increasingly divided, Gabby Thomas and Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day are showing us that something as simple as a garden can be revolutionary. And that real change doesn’t always start in the headlines—it starts in the soil.
Get involved and learn more:
www.mrsmeyers.com/compassion
www.mrsmeyers.com/scent/compassion-flower