College Student Makes Friends With Elderly Neighbors From Afar With Post-it Notes

With social distancing in place in the wake of coronavirus, forging new friendships can be a challenge. But one college student has struck up a special bond with her neighbor, thanks to the creative use of Post-it notes.

Lillian Kogan placed Post-it notes that spelled out "Hi!" on her apartment window in Manhattan. A neighbor saw the greeting and responded with their own "Hi" in their window way across the way.

"I was very excited because I had no idea who was responding to me," Kogan told Inside Edition. Kogan then posted another note asking "How are u?" The neighbor responded, "Ok and u."

One day, Kogan saw her new neighbor friends on their balcony. They were an elderly couple. 

"I just thought 'great,' somebody's over there interested in talking? I'll talk back," 84-year-old Toni Sonet told Inside Edition. Sonet made the messages on her window using construction paper. 

Kogan then asked the elderly couple if they needed food. They said they didn't, but she baked them chocolate chip cookies, using masks and gloves as she did so as a precaution. She dropped the care packages off in their lobby and included a note: "Hi my name is Lillian Kogan. I'm the neighbor you have been communicating with."  

Kogan also gave them her cell phone number in case the couple needed anything. The next message that appeared from Kogan's new friends in their window was the word "Yum." 

"Cookies were delicious," Sonet told Inside Edition. "It was fun. It felt like the beginning of a relationship."

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