LOVE LETTERS TO STRANGERS AROUND THE WORLD When Hannah Brencher was struck down by crippling loneliness after moving to New York, little did she know that her coping mechanism would become an international movement spreading joy across the world. As an outlet to release her emotional tension and fight back against the stress and depression the move had brought on, Brencher began writing love letters and leaving them around the city for strangers to find. She'd leave them in grocery stores, on the subway and in other public places for anyone to pick up, spreading little bits of joy to those individuals lucky enough to happen across them. Their impact was genuine and meaningful to many of the people who found them: one recipient described riding on the subway, having just discovered her mother had cancer, looking to the side, and finding a letter full of the positivity she needed to carry on. Four hundred letters and a plethora of grateful recipients later, it was clear this was becoming bigger than Brencher had ever imagined. Thus, The World Needs More Love Letters was born. Brencher's organization has sent thousands of them to 50 different countries, bringing words of encouragement to those deserving of the love. Recipients range from family members who deserve appreciation, friends in need of a lift, children in hospitals braving their treatment and more.
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