Sharon says she and Dennis are fortunate to have the support of friends and family to help with grocery shopping and running errands, so they don’t have to risk their health by going out. Still, times are tough for everyone.

“I’m not going to the museum and donating my time,” she says. “I miss my grandkids so much. My little granddaughter, she’s 2, and it’s hard for her to understand why she’s kissing grandma through the patio door.”

The attention the letter has garnered is a pleasant distraction though.

“I was so moved by a text I received from someone in New York,” Sharon says. “They thanked us for the mask and asked if we needed anything. Their problems are just unbelievable … for them to even think we needed something or think of sending us anything made us feel so grateful.”

For his part, Cuomo called the mask and letter a “snapshot of humanity.”

“You have five masks, what do you do,” the governor asked. “Do you keep all five? Do you hide the five masks, do you keep them for yourself or others? No, you send one mask. You send one mask to New York to help a doctor or nurse. How beautiful is that? How selfless is that? How giving is that?”