One woman who has spent more than half her life caring for hundreds of children in foster care has recently been honored with a resolution of appreciation by her local government, CNN reported.
75-year-old Linda Herring of Johnson County, Iowa, has fostered more than 600 children over the span of nearly five decades, offering them shelter, clothing, food, and all the love she can give.
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Herring said she was first inspired to become a foster mom when her best friend began providing shelter to teenage girls.
“My best friend was doing foster care for teenage girls and I thought, ‘Well, that would be nice to do the same, but I wanted little kids,” she explained. “So, I talked to the Department of Human Services and agreed to take kids with medical needs.”
While she took care of foster children, Herring also worked as a nighttime custodian for a local high school, and also volunteered as a first responder for nearly 50 years.
Herring and her husband, Bob, have never turned away a foster child, no matter what their age, gender, disability, or specific needs.
Together they have five biological children, as well as three adopted children who were once under their care as fosters.
“I would just love [my foster kids] just like they were my own, probably more than I should have,” Herring said. “I cried when the kids would leave my home, no matter how long they had been there.”
In October 2019, health issues forced Herring to officially retire as a foster mom after nearly 50 years.
In honor of her incredible work, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors and Department of Human Services recently awarded Herring with a resolution of appreciation.
Herring said that despite how difficult it was to part with the hundreds of foster children, she knew they all needed her love.
“It was so hard for me to say goodbye to them,” she said. “I always questioned, ‘Why do I keep doing this?’ because it was never easy to say goodbye to a child.”
“But,” she continued, “I kept doing it because I had so much love to give to these children in need.”
h/t: CNN
