This article appeared in the Lewistown Sentinel Prime Time on 7/23/26.

Valley View residents and team members came together to purchase items for Kindness Kits, assemble them, and then deliver them for distribution.

When faced with an unexpected hospital admission, what are some things that would make the stay more comfortable for older adults? Answering that question turned into a project at Valley View Retirement Community. Residents and team members gathered together to create “Kindness Kits,” reusable bags filled with things they wished they had while hospitalized: a comb, ChapStick, hand sanitizer, a puzzle book, sugar-free candy, travel-sized toiletries, and more – topped off with a handwritten get-well card.

“The kits are given to bring a smile to each face and a bit of comfort to each stay,” Valley View Village resident Joan Shade shared.

Residents and team members came together to donate items, and an action team spent an afternoon creating the kits – over 40 in total. At the beginning of June, the kits were delivered to a local hospital where they will be given to patients over the next few months.

“This project was such a practical way to show Christian love to people who are hurting,” Community Admissions Guide Kammi Booher said. “We were put on this planet to help others, and this is just a small way we are able to do that together.”

The Kindness Kit Crew plans to create more kits that will go to even more older adults in the local community over the next few months.

The kits included items comfort items like puzzle books, toiletries, and a hand-written card.