Earlier this year, A Little More Love helped to direct a senior prom at Lions Gate in Voorhees, hosted by Lions Gate and Samaritan.
Cherry Hill East friends Esha Kalikiri and Tulina Elbarouki founded their nonprofit, A Little More Love, in 2022.
Earlier this year, A Little More Love hosted its first social outreach event at United Methodist Communities in Collingswood, along the group Musicians On Call.
Since then, the nonprofit has hosted social outreach events and donation drives and created and sent gifts that reached hundreds of patients in hospice and palliative care in South Jersey.
“We want each patient to feel seen and heard and cared for, so we encourage them to talk about themselves, and then we add to those conversations,” Elbarouki noted. “A lot of them have asked for advice. A lot of them are just seeking someone to vent to, like a listening ear.
“It all comes down to reaching out first.”
Elbarouki noted that when it comes to patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia who don’t always know their surroundings, it’s important to build on what those patients say and use body language to let them bring up conversations, rather than putting pressure or correcting them.
A Little More Love also works with Samaritan and the United Methodist Communities and has partnered with libraries in the Camden County system as well as the township to host collection drives. It has worked with about 300 volunteers nationwide to host service projects they can participate in, such as asking people to decorate and sending journals to patients.
Volunteers with A Little More Love decorate journals for patients.
Kalikiri and Elbarouki hope to inspire leaders from around the world to increase impact by starting their own chapters.
“As regard to our name, we kind of want them to understand that no matter what people are going through, or someone could be going through a hard time or experiencing a lot of mental-health issues,” Elbarouki emphasized.
“If you just gift somebody a little love or a little bit of time and kindness, it can really go a long way.”
There will be a toiletry drive at the township library from Tuesday through Saturday, Sept. 14, where A Little More Love will collect items such as shampoo, conditioner, lotions and perfumes to donate to patients in hospice and palliative care.
To stay up to date, visit https://alittlemorelove.org. A Little More Love is also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lmlnonprofit/?igsh=MWQ0ZDliY2w2bzI4Yw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr.
