Our mission: to uplift, comfort and inspire little warriors of childhood cancer during their battles and beyond, through the power of literature.
Emily Bhatnagar is a 22-year-old philanthropist, bibliophile, writer, and lifelong dreamer. Deeply impacted by her beloved father’s painful battle with cancer, she began For Love & Buttercup, a book drive created to cheer up children with cancer. What began as a small project soon transformed into a national movement, gaining the attention of thousands after her emotional story was featured in The Washington Post. Bhatnagar is the recipient of numerous awards, including The President’s Volunteer Service Award and CNN Heroes Young Wonder of 2023. Her love for books traces back to a very young age, when a shy Emily, struggling to make school friends, would spend her weekends at Barnes & Noble with her father, picking out books for both of them to read together beneath the Gaithersburg, Maryland, sky she calls home.
Over 30,000 books donated.
Packed with love from the East Coast
. . .to beyond.
-
Most books that For Love & Buttercup donates come from generous donations through our Amazon Wishlist. After we receive shipments of books, we organize the assortment by genre and age group every two weeks. Then, we package and ship the books based on each hospital’s specific requests. If you are a hospital or clinic looking to receive book donations, please contact us here.
-
As much as we wish we could accept every book donation we receive, hospital policies vary significantly, and most require books to be in brand-new or gently used condition. We evaluate used books on a case-by-case basis. To confirm whether we can accept your used books, please send a picture of them here.
-
-
Emily regularly updates and curates the list to reflect a wide selection of books, from timeless childhood classics to stories with strong lessons that stick. That being said, she loves when people recommend new titles to add!
-
While our primary focus is pediatric cancer patients, from babies only a few months old to young adults up to eighteen, we are always happy to donate books to other select causes close to our hearts as well. In the past, we have donated to under-resourced elementary schools, pediatric centers, and children’s waiting rooms in ICUs, offering comfort to children while their parents are in critical condition.
-
Most books are donated to hospitals across the East Coast, such as Children’s National and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, since we are based in the DC region. However, we are always eager to donate nationwide! Please email us here if you are interested in receiving a book donation outside the East Coast.
-
We believe anything handwritten makes life sweeter, which is why we donate personalized, handwritten notes as well. Beyond that, we also offer homemade bookmarks.
-
Yes!
-
Absolutely! Please click here if you are interested in making a monetary donation. We thank you tremendously in advance — people like you allow us to keep our efforts going!
-
First, thank you for thinking of us! Feel free to email Emily here, and she’ll get back to you in 1–2 business days.
Introducing
CNN’s Young Wonder of 2023
On December 10, 2023, Emily Bhatnagar was recognized as CNN’s Young Wonder of 2023 at the 17th Annual CNN Heroes Tribute, presented by Anderson Cooper and Laura Coates in New York, New York.
NBC Nightly Highlight (2021):
“It has been truly so moving to meet the children who receive my books. They’re so little—so much younger than me—yet, sometimes I think they’re years wiser than me. I’m always learning from them. They have the most beautiful hearts I know.”
