By Nathan Carter

Wearing matching yellow shirts and carrying handmade pasta bracelets, grandparents from Johnson County Mental Health Center’s Parenting a Second Time Around support group visited the Kansas State Capitol in February for an advocacy day highlighting prevention programs across the state.

Parenting a Second Time Around, or PASTA, is a support group for grandparents, relatives or caregivers re-entering a parenting role.

The group was started by Johnson County Mental Health Center in 2024 and meets twice each month at Resurrection, a United Methodist Church in Leawood.

The visit to Topeka was the group’s first step toward a new goal, using the strength and support they have found in each other to advocate for themselves and other grandparents going through similar experiences.

Tammy Shepherd, a grandparent who visited Topeka with the PASTA group, said that advocacy is a crucial piece of the puzzle for supporting the well-being of Kansas children.

“When grandparents step in to care for their grandchildren and provide the stable and loving home that best supports their needs, they should be equipped with the necessary financial resources to properly provide for their grandchild,” Shepherd said. “By championing these resources and the needs of grandparents like us, we can help create a foundation where both the children and their grandparents can thrive.”

There are approximately 50,000 children in Kansas being raised by their grandparents. Despite facing similar situations and challenges, many of those grandparents are unable to access resources foster parents can, like Medicaid, SNAP, TANF and respite care.

While in Topeka, the grandparents from PASTA visited the offices of 31 Johnson County legislators, providing information about their group, sharing their experiences and giving out handmade bracelets made of colorful, uncooked pieces of rigatoni.

Several legislators helped the group connect with other partners and resources to support their advocacy efforts.

For Leo Lankford III, the community prevention coordinator from Johnson County Mental Health Center, the visit to Topeka was a moment of pride and gratitude. He started the PASTA support group in 2024.

According to Lankford, the group is not just participating but investing in one another and a larger purpose.

“When the group first started, my hope was simply to create a space where people felt connected and supported, but seeing those relationships grow into something that’s extending beyond our meetings feels like a sign that the group has taken on a life of its own,” he said.

PASTA is open to grandparents, relatives or caregivers re-entering a parenting role and needing a supportive community.

Registration for upcoming meetings is available at connect.jocogov.org/mental-health-training.

Nathan Carter is the Community Relations Manager at the Johnson County Mental Health Center.