Residents were growing lonely with safety restrictions put in place. Unable to visit family, they had some extra time on their hands, so they started writing.
It all started last month when some of the administrators at North Pointe of Archdale, an assisted living facility, decided to put the call out for pen pals for the residents. Like many assisted living facilities, visitors are not allowed inside, so many residents were getting bored.
“They miss their families and getting to hug them,” Director Rachel Reynolds said.
The facility had residents make signs asking for pen pals. Staff at the facility took pictures and then posted the photos to Facebook.
“By Friday, we had received calls, emails, had questions on Facebook from people all over the world,” Reynolds said.
In just a few days, hundreds of people had already reached out wanting information to send letters to residents. The company that runs North Pointe has 13 other locations in North Carolina. The pen pal program seems to be a huge hit with residents.