IBERIA PARISH (JEANERETTE) — The Jeanerette community came together Sunday morning to help grandparents prepare for the upcoming school season.
With a growing number of grandparents stepping in as primary caregivers—often referred to as kinship carers—local nonprofit organizers say the need for support is rising.
“1 in 3 of these kinship caregivers—grandparents—are living below the poverty line,” said Jeanerette's Laura Brown who works with nonprofit Be the 1 to Help Someone.
From donating socks to Altadena wildfire victims to sending aid to flood-stricken Kerr County, Texas, Brown is no stranger to mobilizing resources for those in need.
“In Louisiana, we’re one of five states seeing this ever-growing population of grandparents caring for their grandchildren,” she said.
On Sunday morning, Brown and a team of six volunteers hosted the 5th annual School Supplies for Grandparents Raising Awesome Grandkids—a drive-up distribution event on Martin Luther King Drive.
They handed out nearly 400 bundles and boxes of free, pre-packaged school supplies—sent in from across the country. The drive was also held in honor of Miss Bettye Nathan Cooper, a former Jeanerette High School educator who passed away earlier this year.
“She was always involved in this drive," Brown added. "Seeing what we needed, supporting the grandparents...If we can just be the one to help in some small way, like she did, that’s our mission."
To receive updates or be contacted when more supplies become available, you can join the organization’s email list by clicking here.
