This pandemic has been especially hard on nursing home residents, with the restriction of visitors for the past two months. But a kind gesture from two sisters in the Capital Region has brought some color to their lives during a dark time.

“Many of the residents have different levels of understanding and cognitive skills, don’t understand what’s going on and don't know why it’s happening. So, we’re combatting depression we’re combatting loneliness," says The Daughters of Sarah CEO Mark Koblenz.

Meghan and Grace Regan started the Tulip Project in Albany. The sisters picked tulips based on Albany’s history and a nod to the Tulip Festival, which has been moved to a virtual event due to the pandemic.

The project aims to help those in nursing homes, as restrictions on visitors have isolated many seniors in those facilities. Sunday, marking Mother's Day, made it even more difficult for the residents at The Daughters of Sarah senior community in Albany. So the girls dropped off more than 170 flowers, one to each mother and woman living there.

The drop-off included homemade cards, snacks and a cookie, and even something special for the male residents and staff. The sisters say they hope it puts a smile on their face, as they cannot be with their loved ones.

“I can’t imagine seeing my mom or grandmother on Mother's Day and I think about all the residents, and this is something they look forward to. So we just wanted to brighten their day with a flower and a note so they know we recognize them and we are thinking about them," said Meghan.

The project has been up and running for about six weeks, and the sisters say it has grown to more than 800 people sending cards and donations. They’ve even gotten items from nine different states.

So far, they’ve done drop-offs at six nursing homes and reached about 1,000 residents. If you’d like to help out in their cause, find them on Facebook at The Tulip Project.