An American woman based in Iowa has been honored for fostering more than 600 children, all of whom she claimed to have loved like her biological children.
75-years old, Linda Herring and her husband, Bob, began fostering when they lived in Oxford, Iowa, and continued to do so after they moved to Tiffin.
Although she fancied the idea of having many children, she never imagined that she would foster more than 600 children and turn her home into a safe haven where every child was given shelter, food, clothing, and most importantly, endless amounts of love.
“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,” Herring told CNN. “So, I talked to the Department of Human Services and agreed to take kids with medical needs.”
As a foster mom, Herring ran a home daycare for local families and worked as a night custodian in a nearby high school. If that wasn’t enough, she also volunteered as a first responder for nearly 50 years.
Herring was known by everyone in Johnson County for never turning away a child, no matter their age, gender, or special needs, and would regularly travel to pick up foster children who needed a home.
