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We take care of our kin. Family is family. When children in our families lose their parents, it’s our job to step up and take care of them. But what happens when the only family members available to take care of them are older and need help themselves? That’s where Kinship steps in.

Kinship is a program of the Three Rivers Regional Commission Area Agency on Aging that supports grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins or other family members who are over 55 raising a child.

“A lot of these grandparents or extended family members who are raising these kids oftentimes need other resources,” said Kinship Coordinator Jill Dewberry. “We do material aid, and that’s like we help in time, like with clothing, furniture, utility bills, rent and food.”

Kelli Weaver, Three Rivers Communications Director, said the program is underutilized because it’s one of those programs that a lot of people don’t know about.

“There are different resources for these family members who find themselves in a situation that they didn’t really plan for. Suddenly, they’ve got these children in their home, and now they’re raising these kids, and there are some resources available to them,” Weaver said.

Weaver said every family is different, so when people come to them, they activate the resources necessary to help them in their particular situation.

“We figure out all the different programs that can come in and really help with family resources to raise those children,” she said.

Money is often tight for these families, so Three Rivers works with companies and other community members to help provide the children in the program with Christmas gifts each year.

Locally, Ruby Parker has been spearheading efforts to make sure these kids have a good Christmas for more than 10 years.

On Thursday at the Mike Daniel Recreation Center, Parker will host a Christmas party for 21 kids in the program, providing a Christmas meal and gifts for each of them.

Dewberry said so far, they have been able to provide Christmas to 56 children in the ten counties that Three Rivers serves.

“Miss Ruby’s advocacy in this county has made an extreme difference,” Weaver said. “She gets people into the Kinship program more than any other county.