Students from Westminster Academy put together goody bags and wrote 100 cards with encouraging messages for local seniors as a community service project. Heart2Heart will distribute the bags to seniors who still aren’t able to receive visits because of pandemic restrictions.

The high school students were part of an Interact Club, a student extension of the Rotary Club. A focus of the group is service, but opportunities have been limited in the pandemic.

 “Last year, there was very few things they could do because of covid,” said student parent Daria Pekic.

 The students collected for a canned food drive and a clothing drive last year. However, Pekic said she wanted a way for the students to connect more directly, even within restrictions. Heart2Heart suggested the goody bags.

 Last month, six students from the Interact Club met before school started to write the notes and make the little bags of mints and Starbursts, tied with a ribbon.

“They actually had a good time, just kind of relaxing and spending time together,” Pekic said, explaining that the high school juniors are extremely busy during this year in their young academic careers. “They definitely liked doing this.”

The club plans to put together another batch of notes and goody bags before the end of the year. Along with connecting with seniors they can’t visit in person, the club is planning to visit seniors at a care center as well.

Heart2Heart has many ways to connect to lonely seniors, even from a distance. Volunteers can write to a specific pen pal, connect via phone calls, make goody bags to be dropped off to centers or write cards with messages of encouragement to those who are lonely.

If you’re already a volunteer, let us know how you’d like to participate! To get started as a volunteer, register here.