Grandparents Suddenly Have Expanded Duties—Breakfast Exchange, Elder Services Can Help

During these challenging times, the roles of grandparents have ballooned, and the Breakfast Exchange Club of Greater Haverhill has found a way to help.

Exchangite Bonnie Sisson, who was recently a guest on WHAV’s morning program, says the club has partnered with Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley to help a group of people known as “Grand Families,” comprised of grandparents who are taking care of their grandchildren, because their adult children are not in a position to care for them. She says that with homeschooling taking place, the grandparents don’t get a respite of having the children leave the house to go to school—and in some cases, it’s causing a hardship.

“There’s a gentleman. He’s 72, caring for his 8-year-old grandson. They do this without any extra income, and what do kids do all day when they’re home, but they eat you out of house and home. So, the Breakfast Exchange club stepped up and gave a gift to the family caregiver program to turn it into gift cards so that these families can go and get extra food,” she says.

Sisson calls the grandparents “true heroes” for stepping in and taking care of their grandchildren, who may otherwise would have to be taken care of by the state. The Breakfast Exchange Club of Greater Haverhill consists of 19 members, and donations can be made at becgh.org.

Comments are closed.