Assistant Pastor Larry Bonds and his late wife, Donna, spent 22 years of their life together fostering over 125 special needs infants. Larry and Donna had four biological children but felt that they were led by God to adopt six of the children they were fostering and adding to their family. Raising children can be challenging, to say the least, but also rewarding. Larry said that his greatest reward was that God trusted them to be in these foster children’s lives.
With one of the children in their care, maintaining a certain temperature is not a matter of comfort but of life and death. During the summer, Larry’s air conditioning units are constantly working around the clock and after the shock of seeing his energy bill skyrocket to $900, Larry decided to take action. While researching online, he came upon GRID Alternatives and decided to give us a call.
During installation day, Larry was gracious enough to provide lunch for the entire staff and he was happy to share his story. During this time, much of it was spent talking about his late wife. She had a gift for soothing an infant who was addicted to drugs with her singing and rocking and she thought it was so unique to take a baby home without giving birth. It is very apparent that Larry loved her very much and still misses her.
After Donna passed away, Larry, who was working as a diesel mechanic at Walmart for 30 years, had to retire and take on the responsibility of raising their children. After hearing Larry and Donna’s story, it gives a distinct purpose and meaning to the work we do at GRID. It’s a joy to know that we help underserved communities, but the blessing is amplified when we know the people that we help also help others. On behalf of GRID Central Valley, our deepest gratitude for allowing us to share your story.