Students at Greenville Montessori School are showing residents a little extra love this Valentine’s Day

WINTERVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - This is the third year in a row that students at Greenville Montessori will “Plant a Valentine.” That’s when students ages 3 to 12 plant a succulent to send out with the Meals on Wheels program.

Generations and strangers are connected by a simple gift as students plant a succulent in an old mug. That plant will then get delivered to Pitt County citizens with the Meals on Wheels, a program where some Pitt County residents receive a meal at their home once a week.

“So, Meals on Wheels have been going for 45 years, and we partnered with the Montessori School for the last several years, and what we’re really partnering with is an opportunity to bring joy and love to people who are mostly shut in mostly alone, isolated,” said Rich Zeck, the Executive Director of Council on Aging.

The gift will also come with a note written by students.

“I also think they’ll feel really happy because it’s something that is, you know, for Valentine’s Day. It’s like their gift, and it’s from someone they don’t know, so it’s like wow, even someone-a stranger who doesn’t know me at all still cares about me,” said student, Rylan Kelly.

Those who have received the gifts in the past say they do make a difference.

“Yes, it’s special. It’s special to know that we are thought of that way and loved by others,” said Pitt County resident Bertha Gaye.

The residents will continue to feel love as the students will continue making the plants up until Valentine’s Day with a goal of 250 to be distributed across the region.

Plant a valentine has been taking place for the past three years, and Gaye says she still has her’s from last year and loves to care for it.

Zeck said he is passionate about the idea of delivering hope to these residents, as the meal won’t last long but the plant will be a constant reminder of the love.

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