A New Jersey woman is sharing her story of how she helped give hope to families of American soldiers away at war.

Agnes Negra was inspired by her personal story of keeping the faith, while her father was lost at sea and presumed dead.

Negra started writing letters to the families of prisoners of war, informing them that their loved ones in the war were alive.

A week after her first letter was sent, she received a response thanking her, and before she knew it, she'd received some 200 letters from the families of soldiers.

"I never dreamed that I would hear from anybody. I just wanted them to know that I heard their son's name, and he was OK," she said.

They all thanked her for giving them some peace of mind about their sons, brothers, and husbands away at war.

Agnes's letters had been tucked away in a closet in her Forked River home, until her son unboxed them in 2019 just months before her 100th birthday. They were then compiled into a book telling the story of a young Jersey girl who wanted to spread hope during a time of war.