To combat loneliness and social isolation, The North Carolina State Veterans Home in Salisbury is asking the community to send holiday greetings, prayers, drawings and videos to CaringCards@pruitthealth.com or submit them online at PruittHealth.com/Caring-Cards.

The N.C. State Veterans Home is located on the campus of the W.G. “Bill” Hefner VA Medical Center. It’s a 99-bed home for veterans that’s managed by PruittHealth through the N.C. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Like nursing homes and residential care facilities across the country, it has seen outbreaks of COVID-19 that have claimed lives of residents

“This year has been difficult for everyone, especially our veterans, but one thing that has helped to keep spirits up throughout the pandemic is the love and support given to us by the community,” said Neil Pruitt, chairman and CEO of PruittHealth. “This holiday season, our veterans need that support more than ever, and we’re asking community members to send holiday greetings so that no veteran feels alone and is reminded that they are loved.”

PruittHealth activities directors and caregivers will share holiday greetings and messages of encouragement with veterans to ensure they know that they are in the thoughts of compassionate friends, even ones they have never met.

“Together, we can ensure no veteran in our communities feels forgotten this holiday season and with a simple act of kindness, we can do our part to improve the health and well-being of older adults in the community,” Pruitt said. “We saw firsthand how these Caring Cards help bring such joy to veterans’ faces when we piloted the program last year and I thank everyone who participates in advance for helping us repeat its success this year.”