Not another app, not another website, not another social network. Just love, person-to-person. Stranger-to-stranger, even. Writing love letters to strangers in New York City was how Hannah Brencher healed herself of loneliness and a depression that had, as she puts it, "sucker-punched me in the face" after college. Hannah tells her story that began on 10/10/10:

"I began writing letters on the train to individuals who seemed like they, too, could use a boost. I would leave them all over the city–crooked into cafes & libraries & coat pockets. I began blogging about the love letter writing & watched as my inbox became a vault for letter requests from all over the world. In the span of 9 months, I wrote & mailed over 400 love letters to people in need around the globe & the process healed me. It absolutely healed me."

Hannah is the Gen-Y founder of www.MoreLoveLetters.com, a service that collects and bundles letters from lovers-of-life such as yourself, and sends them to people who need an encouraging word. If you would like to get together with friends over some coffee or tea and write love letters to a total stranger who could use a lift, check out the Starter Kit. Don't miss Hannah's TED talk (it's only 4 1/2 minutes).

Do the letters really help? Amanda E. found the letter pictured above and wrote this:

I found this today in a restroom in the Safeway in Anacortes, Wa. My family and I have been going through a rough time lately and I’ve taken it especially hard. I took a drive south to Anacortes from Bellingham today as a personal day to try and sort things out, and finding this made my day. It completely changed my entire mood more than anyone knows; it was EXACTLY what I needed, as though that person knew I needed to be the one to find it. What you guys do is great and I will never forget this act of kindness! Cannot wait to pass it on! --Amanda E.

See more found letters and how they uplifted those who found them.