

One of my earliest memories is going to the Hallmark store with my mom. I was the youngest in the family, and after we dropped my siblings off at school, it was time to run our errands. Friday morning was Minnie’s Hallmark, the beauty parlor and the grocery. I loved going to Minnie’s. So many cards! I was mesmerized, and I guess that was a good thing, as I remember mom meticulously taking the time to read each card she had on her list that week, whether it was a birthday card, a get well card or a sympathy card. I always thought, wouldn’t it be cool if I owned a Hallmark store someday and could help make people happy, just like Minnie did with my mom and others?
Along came college, and where do you think I went to get my first part time job? I went where I’d be most at home; to the Hallmark store in the mall, Lynn’s Hallmark at Lenox Square in Atlanta. It was a natural fit. But college led me to a career in retail banking. There I sharpened my customer service skills, learned financial statements and cash flow analysis.
I caught an entrepreneurial bug from my clients. I wanted to own my own business. And that’s when my dad called. Sally’s Hallmark store in Madeira Beach was for sale, and I should buy it. After lots of research, many phone calls and lots of coaching from my dad, we struck a deal, and at 28 years old, my husband, David, and I bought our first business and I fulfilled a dream. On the door went my name. It was Becky’s Hallmark.
In the time that I owned the store, I learned the value of sending a card. I marveled at the customers who came in with their list each month. My mom wasn’t the only one. They had their list of birthdays, who was sick, who had an anniversary, which grandchild had just gotten their driver’s license. There was a card for everything!
Often we’d have older customers come in. Their vision might be poor but sending that card with just the right message was so important to them. So I’d take the time and help them to select their cards. I’d read one and they would nod yes or no and we made our way around the card racks until she had her list complete. I was in the business of helping people make other’s lives happy. And I loved it. There’s a simple joy in sending a card and I was bit by that bug.
Years passed and baby #2 came along. We were on the verge of an economic downturn and I was ready to be a stay at home mom for a few years. So we sold Becky’s Hallmark to another local store owner.
But the entrepreneurial bug had been planted in me and my desire to do good and help others do the same. So in 2014, it was a natural fit for me and David to start another business. And so began Assisting Hands Home Care Pinellas. We were in the business of helping match seniors with an aide who could help them with their daily activities so that they can stay happy and healthy at home.
And now we face a new crisis. We have seniors sitting at home, alone and worried. We have seniors sitting in Assisted Livings and Skilled Nursing Facilities who haven’t seen family or friends in a month. Wouldn’t be amazing if we could send each a card? So that’s what my kids and I have been doing, making cards and taking them to lonely seniors.
Want to help us put a smile on the face of a senior? Send a card to someone you know today. And if you want to help us, we are looking for people to make cards. I’ll make sure they are delivered to senior care facilities right here in Pinellas County.
Call us today at 727-748-4211 or email me at [email protected]. We look forward to putting a smile on more faces soon!
Latest posts by Becky Moultrie (see all)
- Five Things You Should Know About In-Home Care - April 7, 2023
- Are There Healthy Alternatives to Caffeine for Seniors? - March 31, 2023
- Home Care Assistance Covers a Range of Services and Support - March 24, 2023

Becky Moultrie is Owner and Administrator of Assisting Hands Home Care Serving Pinellas. Guided by a motto to Do Good with Love, she’s well positioned to do just that at Assisting Hands. She has a passion for helping families keep seniors and those who are diabled happy and healthy at home. She serves on a number of boards in Pinellas County including the Pinellas Park Gateway Chamber and Better Living Seniors (BLS), leading the Membership Committee. Annually, she hosts a Silver Santa Party, collecting donations for nearly 100 low income seniors in the county. She attends Blessed Sacrament Church, Seminole where she is an Ascribed Member of the Rosminian Order. When not busy Doing Good in the community, Becky is at home with her husband David & their 4 children, tending to their beehives and digging in the garden.