This girl is cheering up isolated nursing home residents by sending them care packages

As several states across America go under lockdown, nursing homes are some of the first places to inhibit visitors. A major reason for this is that senior citizens are most at risk if they contract the deadly COVID-19. To prevent carriers from spreading the disease, visiting hours at dozens of nursing homes have been limited or scrapped completely. This means the residents are likely to feel isolated, lonely, and restless. In order to combat this, an awesome young humanitarian has stepped in to cheer them up. Hita Gupta, a 15-year-old sophomore at Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, has been making care packages filled with goodies to keep the elderly residing in nursing homes occupied, helping them feel less alone.

Hita is the founder of the Brighten A Day Foundation, an initiative dedicated to lifting "the spirits of those who are in need of some cheer by sending them love, hope, and joy through cards and gifts." They foundation affirms, "Our vision is that people everywhere will have a reason to smile." In the past, Hita has sent thousands of cards to those in need of a little pick-me-up on various occasions, such as Valentine's Day and over the holidays. When the Coronavirus outbreak hit the United States, she knew she had to help those in her community - and beyond - in the way she knew how.

Therefore, she started a fundraiser to help local nursing home residents during this pandemic. Through self-funding as well as the generous donations from members of her community, Hita has managed to send packs of gifts for residents at four local nursing homes, namely Sunrise of Paoli, Wayne Center, The Devon Senior Living, and Green Meadows Nursing Center. She explained, "Each pack contained one puzzle book, one coloring book, one handwritten note, and one pack of colored pencils/crayons." However, she doesn't want to stop at just four nursing homes. With this in mind, she's asking for donations so she can reach more senior citizens than ever before.

"Before this, all of my projects have been self-funded, but I am looking for some more support on this fundraiser so that I can cheer up more seniors," the 15-year-old stated. "If I raise more money, I will be able to help many more nursing home residents from feeling lonely or isolated while they are unable to see loved ones." She hopes her care packages will help, as her foundation states, brighten up the residents' days. As most nursing home residents are primarily supported through Medicaid, they do not have the funds to sponsor fun activities for themselves. Hita's care packages are a way to make sure they have something to keep them occupied during this challenging time. She affirmed, "Together, we can all help the elderly overcome these tough times!" If you would like to learn more about her initiative, you can visit her foundation's website. To make a donation, you can visit her GoFundMe fundraiser. If we all chip in, we can help Hita reach her goal of $5,000 in no time.