TORONTO A group of high school students has created a virtual pen pal program to help seniors across the Greater Toronto Area develop meaningful connections amid the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the obstacles created by social isolation. The program, called Pandemic Pals or Pan Pals for short, has students connect with seniors in long-term care homes via phone and Zoom calls in an effort to combat loneliness brought on by lockdowns in the province. âWe thought about seniors in long-term care homes who are missing out on this time with their children, their grandchildren their great grandchildren, along with this all encompassing fear of the unknown virus,â student Pan Pal Sam Shulman said in an interview with CTV News.