Letters With Love is more than a card drive—it’s a heartfelt initiative strengthening community connections. The project launched in January 2025, founded by JohnCarlo Mandara, a student at Albertus Magnus High School.
Mandara began with a simple idea: a Valentine’s Day card drive for seniors in local assisted living communities. After receiving 230 cards from across the country, he saw how meaningful a small gesture could be—and was inspired to continue.
Since then, Mandara’s mission of spreading care has expanded to veterans, children in hospitals, community heroes and more. To date, Letters With Love has delivered 859 cards, with no plans of slowing down.
In November, Mandara will spotlight farmers and soup kitchen staff—individuals who nourish and care for the community every day. He hopes to use the project to share more kindness and gratitude during the season of thankfulness.
“To me, being thankful isn’t just about saying ‘thank you’—it’s about feeling it and living in a way that shows it,” Mandara said. “I’m thankful for the people who believed in Letters With Love when it was just an idea. I’m thankful for every person who has taken the time to write a card. And I’m thankful for those we write to—for letting us into their lives.”
For Mandara, those moments of connection remain the heart of his work, each card another reason to spark joy and invite others to do the same.
“The fact that strangers take time to write to someone they’ll never meet—just because they care—that’s powerful,” he said. “And being able to help make that happen? That’s everything.”
Interested in getting involved? Visit letterswithlove25.org, follow them on Instagram @letters.with.love25, or email them at letterswithlove25@gmail.com.