ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice is launching a community service project aimed at connecting juvenile offenders with the elderly.

Department spokesman Jim Schuler said in a statement Tuesday that juvenile offenders will begin making greeting cards that will be distributed to residents of a nursing home in Gainesville.

Officials say the program's overall goal is to help young offenders develop understanding and empathy for Georgia's aging population.

Department officials say detainees may frequently feel lonely and forgotten while in custody — similar to what the elderly sometimes feel while living in senior centers and assisted living facilities.

Deputy Commissioner Sarah Draper says the project titled "Show Them We Care" is being handled by the department's office of victim services and the division of education and re-entry services.