HYANNIS – Potted Plants for Seniors is delivering plants with messages and cards to senior citizens across Cape Cod to help build strong relationships within the community.
Sarah Dennis, Founder and Director of Potted Plants for Seniors, said that the organization helps spread positivity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With everything going on with the Coronavirus, you start to notice that people aren’t friendly to each other right now. It’s sad. People, for whatever reason, think that if you make eye contact with somebody or smile at somebody, you’re going to catch COVID-19. This is going to pass, and I’d hate to see kindness and human decency become a casualty in all of this,” said Dennis.
“Instead of the bad, let’s do something good. Especially for those who are always forgotten. Our seniors are always, always forgotten. They’re us, just older. So we wanted to do something nice for them.”
The organization is made up of local volunteers that decorate, plant and deliver the free potted plants.
The deliveries also include cards, pictures, drawings, and letters alongside return contact information from people in the community to create a pen pal relationship with seniors.
“The purpose of that is I want to see like, John and Sally know that there’s snowstorm is coming and that Harry lives alone and his kids live in Wisconsin, so they call and make sure he has everything he needs. It’s partnering a senior up with two different families in the community,” said Dennis.
Dennis said that the organization is already making plans for the next year of service.
“It’s blown up. It started out of my 2 bedroom basement apartment. And now we’ve got over 7200 orders,” said Dennis.
“We’re going to be doing it for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and our Big Spring Fling, like we’re doing right now.”
Dennis said that the organization is also looking for nonprofit status and is almost finished with the necessary paperwork.
“The way that this is touching people is incredible. It really is. It is such a small gesture that is making such a huge difference,” said Dennis.
She said that plans for the organization go beyond just the plant deliveries.
“It’s truly been an amazing experience and we’re going to go further with it too. I plan to put a handicap accessible garden or greenhouse at every nursing home and assisted living facility and senior community so that they can garden.”
Dennis wants students to tend to the gardens, which she said would build good relationships between the two generations of community members as well as be a teaching opportunity.
“These people have so much to tell. They’re just put in a nursing home or put somewhere and they’re forgotten. And this is why this is such a big deal to them, because they don’t get anything. There’s no outreach for them, and we’re here to change that,” said Dennis.
Dennis said that Potted Plants for Seniors is also working with various Councils on Aging and Senior Centers across Cape Cod as well as the Cape Cod Veterans Association to bring plants and positive relationships to the entire the community.
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