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Transforming apathy into empathy.

Roomto Read 663

Cá Mau, Vietnam

Libraries Changing the Margins of the World

Room to Read | February 2026

Editorial Note: Since 2009 BitterSweet has published over one hundred stories—powerful narratives of good and stunning portraits of world changers. This month we thought we'd reach back into the archives and pull out a staff favorite. In 2019 Erica Baker, Kate Schmidgall, and Steve… Read the Story

Cairn Oct2025 Obiekwe Okolo 100 copy

Introducing Cairn, in print and in person

Washington, DC

A0 A1726

Dinner by the Sea

Israel/Palestine

Bittersweet 2025 122 Gift Guide Steve Jeter 5899

Beyond the Wrapping Paper

Washington, DC

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Finding Clover and Lace

Detroit, MI

Bittersweet 2025 OKC Positive Tomorrows Steve Jeter 4451 2x3

An Education in Joy

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

2025 Blanchet House Kim 2 Minsong Kim

We Are What We Do

Portland, Oregon

Crop Untitled00002664 00 00 13 08 Still014

67 Million Hopes in the Middle East

Middle East

2025 Steve Jeter Guatemala AMA 1575 2

The Force of Women Gathered

Guatemala

2025 Mamatoto Porter 0022

To See, To Know, To Care

Washington, DC

KAP 2687

"You can change your story a million different ways"

Denver, CO

A29 Q5413

A Seedbed for Transformation

Chicago, IL

5 A0 A7998

Between the River and the Sea

Israel/Palestine

5 Q8 A5193 2

"Dla vas (for you)..."

Uzhhorod, Ukraine

JRR 20240727 Breadwinners UK 2113

Flour, Salt, Time

London, England

36 Main Character 34 on Field 31

A New Generation of Artisans

Nairobi, Kenya

BSM Treetops Collective2024 Erica Baker 168

"A World of Radical Welcome"

Grand Rapids, MI

KAP 5864

From the Ground Up

Chicago, IL

Snehalaya BSM Erica Baker2024 198

"For Someone Who Has No One"

India

Bsm tzedek hero image

"It's very, very expensive to be poor"

Washington, DC

Okolo Cafe Momentum 2024 563

Building Momentum, One Plate at a Time

Dallas, TX

DSCF0664 1

"We Are Here Many, Many Days"

Kampala, Uganda

2024 Path United Porter 0074 Whitney Porter

The Path to Flourishing

Loganville, Georgia

"Hope is what you do"

Israel/Palestine

ROLL 04 9070005

"Your inheritance is your education"

Zaria, Nigeria

Img356 positive

"Yes! In My Backyard"

Seattle, WA

CC Bittersweet 2023 105 Whitney Porter Mc Arthur

Horses Are Magic

Detroit, MI

Rescan 1 resized sq

In Search of the Lost

Falfurrias, TX

NFP Bittersweet 2023 068 Whitney Porter

A Partner in the Families We Build

Washington, DC

5 Q8 A2032

"Ya Tam (I am there)"

Uzhhorod, Ukraine

BSM Solar Sister Erica Baker2023083

The First Light in the Last Mile

Arusha, Tanzania

GK39250 positive

A Cadence of Peace

Cleveland, OH

5 Q8 A0795 LR

Where Teen Authors Embrace Their Voice

Winston-Salem, NC

ST ACTS Housing 153

The Houses that Build Communities

Milwaukee, WI

5 Q8 A0541

Good Gifts, Curated

Washington, DC

IMG 3649 RESIZED2

The Gates That Never Close

Belfast, Northern Ireland

BSM EBP ECHO Barkery2022 108

Finding the Heart of Handmade Treats

Ashburn, VA

Hospitality Without Boundaries

Washington, DC

DWJ BLACK GIRLS DIVE FINAL 0955

Out of Many Waters

Andros Island, Bahamas

Kesem cover bracelets

Spinning a Web of Kindness

United States

Between the Stone and the Star

Washington, DC

T Max400 35mm SWC20220225 24 positive 21

Finding Nickels on the Street

New York City, New York

Simple Good 40 LR

A Market of Love and Kindly Justice

Chicago, IL

Food On The Stove 220

The Heart of the Fire Service

Washington, DC

IMG 7032 LR

Hope After Apocalypse

Houston, TX

When Writing Calls Forth More Than Words

Washington, DC

Twelve Space 22

On Giving Beyond The Gift

Washington, DC

Second Chance Selects104

Twenty Years of Second Chances

Baltimore, MD

"...to see culture invigorated toward good."

Washington, DC

"I feel like a dancer."

Democratic Republic of Congo

Rw Selects 109

"You've got to feel yourself alive sometimes."

Germantown, MD

Leave as Family

San Francisco, CA

GOPR0115

Flip Flops and Phytoplankton

Nairobi, Kenya

5 N5 A2986

"They look at us like we kings. It's like, hope."

Washington, DC

DCYOP Selects 346 8 U7 A1325

Harmony in the Capital City

Washington, DC

The Livelihood of Cairo's Poorest

Cairo, Egypt

Protection and Provision for DC’s Seniors

Washington, DC

Life Masterpiece 082

A Most Hopeful Brotherhood, Masterpieces in the Making

Washington, DC

Bitter Sweet Hero Image

BitterSweet Monthly

Washington, DC

Mhp 9308 601X401 05D96Dc

Of Restoration and Renewal

Coding the Way to a Transformed Future

Oakland, CA

Bsm Chaw 2020 113

A Home for Art, A Commitment to Access

Washington, DC

A29 Q2310

Pulling Highest Potential Out of Hardest Life Places

Chicago, IL

2020 BitterSweet Group Photo

Reject Cynicism, Defy Apathy, Celebrate Good

Washington, DC

Day 4 16

Restoring Sight to the Blind Tens of Thousands of Times and Not Nearly Enough

Ghana

Banner Wanderlust

Celebrate by Giving Good

Global

St Thistle Farms001

A Healing Place of Gritty Love and Lavender

Nashville, TN

Malike10

Lenses of the Unseen Capture the Untold

New York City

One Heart Worldwide 187

Lacing the Toughest Terrain with Life Saving

Nepal

Dsc 7013 Web

Like-Minded Warriors Find Resilience on the Rock Wall

Boston, MA

Roomto Read 663

Libraries Changing The Margins of The World

Ca Mau, Vietnam

A29 Q0619

Radical Young Poets Leading Us Toward One Another

Chicago, IL

BitterSweet Project Free2 Fly 030

Stitching Together New Futures

Cleveland, TN

St Back On My Feet164

Running the Streets We Used to Sleep On

Philadelphia, PA

Dsc 66302

When a Mountain Town Goes Underwater

Rainelle, WV

20181005 Bm Life Rem 079

Detroit Neighborhoods Remodel for Life

Detroit, MI

Pc 0305 Dwj

The Stuff Cures Are Made Of

Mexico

Bsm Ggg2018 3

Let's Make it Better

Global

19 Jrr 20180528 133

A Land of Honey, Plums and Landmines

Bosnia + Herzegovina

Red Wiggler Selects 115

The Farm That Grows Farmers

Germantown, MD

BitterSweet Little Workers 003

More than Therapy

Washington, DC

Home Bsm Tile

Is there anything right, pure, admirable, lovely?

Washington, DC

Morning Star 106 2

The Strongest Little Beats in Beijing

Beijing, China

Second Chance Teaser Image

Baltimore’s Warehouse of Many Chances

Baltimore, MD

Dsc 3794

Bridging Separation + Connecting Families

BitterSweet March 2018 007

Salvaged Dreams

Washington, DC

A29 Q5164

The Mechanics of Life, Work and Bicycles

Chicago, IL

Project Hope Alliance 56

Now You See Me

Orange County, CA

Community Renewal139

Weaving Us Together, All Of Us

Shreveport, LA

Holiday Teaser

Make Giving Meaningful

Global

Iu Morning Prayer

The Children Will Rebuild The Country

Ouanaminthe, Haiti

The Untold Story of The World's Greatest Potential

Middle East

Jrr 20170427 071

Refugee Farmers Growing in Houston's Food Desert

Houston, Texas

31 8905

Flipping Flops Into Statement Art

Nairobi, Kenya

Press Kit Ka Boom Original 003

Saving Play

Washington, DC

Healing for Heroes

Washington, DC

Old Skool Cafe 255

Jazzy Suppers Building New Futures

San Francisco, CA

Img 8542 Lr

Incarcerated Youth Writing New Chapters

Washington, DC

A29 Q9152

Crushing Hopelessness in Chicago's South Side

Chicago, IL

Dcyouth Orchestra08

Music for All

Washington, DC

Chicago Dr Jawish 10

Supporting Refugees Locally and Globally

Global

Dcfyi 101

Forever Families For Teens Aging Out of Foster Care

Washington, DC

Mama Maggie Teaser 1 2

Sweetness In The Garbage Slums of Cairo

Cairo, Egypt

Why We Do This + What's Next

Washington, DC

Clark Duane Alum Lr

Professional Pathways for High School Seniors

Washington, DC

Brainfood BitterSweet 134

How Creamy Cauliflower Teaches Life

Washington, DC

Rf 01

What It Takes for Trafficking Victims to Become Survivors

Madrid, Spain

Jrr 20160319 177 Panoweb

How The Punk Rock Scene is Caring for Elderly in DC

Washington, DC

Bolivia Teaser

Adventure Therapy, Overcoming Bit By Bit

Cochabamba, Bolivia

Granola Teaser 2

The Very Best Granola, Made By Refugees

Providence, Rhode Island

Faceless Portrait1Web

Perhaps The Most Important Story We Will Ever Tell

Alexandria, Virginia

Lifepieces Teaser 2

These Dreams Are Shaped and Stitched Together

Washington, DC

Standproud Teaser

Learning to Walk, and Standing Proud

Democratic Republic of Congo

Dc127 11

Reversing the Foster Care List in DC

Washington, DC

Sole Hope Teaser

The Impact Of Whole And Healthy Soles

City Year Teaser

Addressing the Dropout Crisis in DC

Washington, DC

Casa Teaser

A Little Salvadoran Village in Arlington

Washington, DC

Healthy Babies Teaser

Caring for High-Risk, Low-Income, Pregnant Teens

Washington, DC

Breakthrough Teaser 2

Making Brothel Life Less Desirable

Shelters Teaser

A Private-Sector Solution for Homelessness

United States

Little Lights Teaser2

These Little Lights Are Going To Shine

Washington, DC

Champions Teaser

Coaching Futbol, Coaching Life

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Peace Center Teaser

School For The Blind Builds Peace In The Middle East

East Jerusalem, Israel

Redeeming Grounds Teaser

The Coffee That Was Very Nearly Cocaine

Colombia