Making a difference in the life of someone in your community can take many forms. Donations to local food banks help families make ends meet and ensure that no one goes hungry. Volunteering provides a similar sense of hope, just through a different lens, and Texas’s Foster Grandparent Program is a shining example of that.
The program pairs adults 55 years of age and older with children who are facing circumstances at home that may impact their emotional, social, or academic development, or who have specific needs requiring extra help to better manage.
A key difference between this position and being a foster parent is that foster grandparents don’t provide housing to these children, nor do the foster grandparents care for the kids in their own homes.
Instead, volunteers with the Foster Grandparent program mentor children at hospitals, schools, juvenile correction facilities, childcare centers, child-focused organizations, and Head Start programs.
According to The Dallas Express, volunteers usually spend one-on-one time with the children in their care and help tutor them in addition to mentoring them and providing emotional support. This helps the children build trust and receive encouragement, and it’s a mutually beneficial process, as older adults receive companionship in return.
Volunteers typically devote anywhere from 15 hours per week to 40 hours per week depending on their availability and receive tax-free stipends every month, as well as other benefits. Training is provided for those working as Foster Grandparents to help them develop the skills needed to have a positive effect on the children and their academic and personal lives.
On July 16, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) put out a call for new volunteers. In that written statement, Stepanie Muth, who serves as HHSC Executive Commissioner, said, “Our volunteers are the heart and soul of the Foster Grandparent Program. Helping children work toward their potential and achieve better outcomes gives our volunteers a real sense of purpose during this chapter in their lives.”
The Foster Grandparent Program is improving thousands of lives each year
The Foster Grandparent Program began in 1965, with funding and operation established by AmeriCorps. It’s available across the country, but within Texas itself, the program covers 17 services areas, of which eight are directly administered by the Health and Human Services Commission.
Between July 2025 and June 2026 alone, 16,772 children were served by volunteers with the Foster Grandparent Program, with those participants logging roughly 347,581 hours of volunteering.
One volunteer who has worked with the Lubbock State Supported Living Center over a 14-year span is George Lewis, a 100-year-old World War II veteran from Lubbock. He has 11 children of his own and previously served as a pastor. He told The Dallas Express that he enjoys volunteering because it helps him better connect with his community and it helps him stay active.
“I like getting out of the house and being able to interact with others. “Everyone lets me know how much they enjoy having me there. It really makes my day,” he said.
Where are volunteers needed?
Volunteer eligibility requirements are relatively straightforward: You must be 55 years of age or older, and you must be able to devote between 15 to 40 hours per week to the program. Communities that are currently looking for volunteers include:
- Austin
- Denton
- Abilene
- Temple
- Fort Worth
- Corpus Christi
- Lubbock
- Rosenberg
- Lufkin
- Mexia/Waco
If you’d like to learn more about participating in this program, please click here or call 2-1-1.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Related: As need grows, Meals on Wheels North Texas asks community to step up
