It Started With a Stranger

Love, A Stranger is more than a helpline. It is a heart to heart lifeline for anyone impacted by an eating disorder.

Founded by a recovered eating disorder survivor, Sarah Callazzo, Love, A Stranger was born from lived experience and a deep understanding of how isolating, consuming, and misunderstood this illness can be. At its core is one simple truth: no one should have to navigate this alone.

In the founder’s darkest moments, what was missing was not information, diagnosis, or even treatment. It was human connection. Not a clinical script or a checklist on the other end of the line, but someone who truly understood. Someone who could sit in the discomfort, hold space without judgment, and remind them they were not broken, weak, or alone.

That unmet need planted a seed.

Years later, during the holidays, the founder began writing hundreds of letters to individuals in residential treatment. Messages of hope sent to people they had never met, signed simply, “Love, a stranger.” What started as a small act of connection became something bigger. A reminder that sometimes the most powerful support comes from knowing someone, somewhere, is thinking of you.

That idea became a mission. And that mission became Love, A Stranger

We are a helpline, not a crisis hotline. We are not staffed by licensed clinicians, and we do not provide emergency or crisis intervention. Instead, we offer something equally vital. Compassionate, real time peer support. Through text or call during our open hours, you will connect with a trained volunteer. Someone with lived or deeply informed experience who will listen, validate, and walk alongside you.

We are here to remind you that your struggle is real, your feelings make sense, and you do not have to carry them by yourself.

You are not alone.
And you never have to be.

Whether you’re someone struggling, a loved one seeking guidance, or a parent just trying to understand, we’re here to support you. Our services include:

  • Text and call-based support from trained volunteers

  • Connections to treatment resources in your area or online

  • A pen pal matching system for ongoing peer connection

  • Support for families and loved ones navigating this journey too

At Love, A Stranger, we believe healing happens in connection. That even a stranger’s love, freely given, with no strings attached, can remind someone of their worth, their strength, and their right to recover.

Sometimes, the person who helps you find your way back to yourself isn’t someone you know—just someone who cares enough to show up.

Let’s Walk

This Together

Have a question? Looking for support? Want to get involved?


Send us a message or connect by phone or text. However you show up, we’ll meet you there.