Jacqueline Williams lost her daughter, Tenasia, after a tragic car accident and adopted her children.
"I got a four-year-old, and I got a two-year-old, and the two-year-old is non-verbal. So I have to pay attention to a lot of his needs to see exactly what he wants," Williams said.
Jenny Arroyo's story is different, but her actions are just as powerful after her daughter walked away from the responsibilities of being a mother.
"I wouldn't want my grandchild somewhere out in the world. I don't know where she is, who she's with, you know, not being able to get in contact with her, you know, stuff like that," Arroyo said.
Rutgers University in Newark, along with CareSpark, has teamed up to help these grandparents meet the needs of their grandchildren.
Some want financial assistance, mental health and tutoring services, or food for the holidays.
According to a 2025 report by Generations United, across the country, 2.5 million grandparents or family members are raising children.
In New Jersey, nearly 50,000 mostly grandparents are doing the same
Their commitment saves an estimated $10.5 billion for taxpayers because these children do not end up in the foster care system.
Organizations are making sure the burden of nurturing grandchildren is not overwhelming.
"Focusing on their self-care and really focused on caring for themselves and recognizing that if you don't care for yourself, there's no way you're going to be able to provide the care for the kids," CareSparc Executive Director Keith Da Costa said.
The number of grandparents raising grandkids is acute in underserved communities due to violence, drug usage and crime.
But these grandparents have stepped up to make sure their grandchildren have a home and are with their family.
"They just made my christmas for my grandkids amazing, actually. My grandson, we went to the other event that they had last week and my grandson said, 'I thought my christmas was going to be messed up,' he said, 'but it was really nice," grandparent Natasha Harmon said.
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