Bridgewater Twins Bring Valentine's Cheer To Seniors With Kindness Project

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Twin brothers Neel Sood and Sameer Sood, 6th graders at Hillside Intermediate School, were awarded a $500 grant for their project, “Valentines for Seniors.”

The grant came from the nonprofit organization Kindness Grows Here. The Sood brothers hand-delivered Valentine’s Day-themed gift bags to residents at New Jersey Eastern Star and Rehabilitation and Nursing in Bridgewater.

Each gift bag contained items intended to spread festivity and cheer. These included a warm throw blanket, a stuffed animal, and a heart of kindness with an uplifting message.

The brothers noted that they had seen seniors often feeling cold, inspiring them to include colorful blankets for warmth and comfort. Stuffed animals were chosen to brighten rooms and provide something soft to hold.

"We have been visiting nursing homes for years to hang up bright colorings done by our classmates to decorate the residents’ rooms. We love chatting with seniors. After seeing how much joy the colorings brought to the senior citizens, we wanted to do more for them," Sameer Sood said.

Neel Sood created the “Hearts of Kindness Project” three years ago to spread positivity at his school. He presented all 470 students with a hanging paper heart featuring a kindness message.

"The Hearts of Kindness Project was so well-received at my school and in my community that I thought it would be nice to expand it further and bring the hearts to senior citizens as well," said Neel Sood.

The seniors at New Jersey Star expressed gratitude for the gifts.

Simone Rudich, Recreation Director at the facility, added, "The boys have been visiting here often for the past few years and the residents greatly appreciate having them here. Their kindness and thoughtfulness has been ongoing and brings a lot of happiness to our seniors."

Neel and Sameer hope to secure additional funding to continue their tradition of presenting valentines to seniors annually.

"We want to make seniors in nursing homes feel noticed, loved, cared for, and celebrated for Valentine's Day," said the brothers. "We want them to know that they are not forgotten during this holiday when others are doing kind things for the people they love."

For more information on the Hearts of Kindness Project and Valentines for Seniors, visit neelsood1000.wixsite.com/kindness or sameercares.wixsite.com/sameercares/coloring.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.