Tawanda Robbins’s nonprofit is replacing loneliness with love across the U.S. by delivering Valentine’s Day cards to seniors in nursing homes.

There are about 60% of nursing home residents who don’t get regular visitors, which puts them at a greater risk of depression. Robbins said a mission trip to Trinidad inspired her to do something back home in the U.S.

Volunteers of all ages create messages of love and hope and deliver the cards to people in the community who have few friends and family.

Organizations across the state are raising awareness about loneliness, including a volunteer-led grassroots group in Charlotte.

Tawanda Robbins founded the Love in Action Project 13 years ago to combat loneliness in Mecklenburg County and beyond. Her organization hosts parties where volunteers create art like cards for people vulnerable to loneliness, such as neighbors experiencing homelessness and seniors.

"We want to remind you that you are not alone," Robbins said. "That you are needed, everything about you is needed."

One local organization is spreading the love this Valentine’s Day by sending over 5,000 homemade cards to local nursing homes.

‘Love in Action’, founded by Tawanda Robbins, has collected thousands of V-Day cards from families, businesses, daycares and more in hopes of brightening the day of a population who -in many ways- is set apart due to the covid-19 pandemic.

“We want to create cards for those experiencing isolation, lonely, going through a difficult time,” said Robbins.