Grandparents or elderly individuals charged with the primary care of minor relatives may seek financial help from the Lumber River Council of Governments this month.

On Wednesday, the Family Caregiver Support Program at the Lumber River Council Of Governments will begin taking applications for vouchers toward clothes and school supplies from older relatives, excluding parents, who have sole financial responsibility for raising a young relative.

Applications will be processed from 10 a.m - 4 p.m. at Scotland Place Senior Center every weekday until July 27. When applying, seniors should bring documentation of the child’s birth date.

Funds for the program are available through Title III-E of the Older Americans Act, and are available only to senior citizens raising a child in their home without the child’s parents living in the home.

To be eligible, the grandparent or older relative caregiver must be 55 years of age or older. Applicants must be raising a child between the ages of 5 and 18 who will attend school this fall. Caregivers of severely handicapped children aged up to 22 are also eligible, provided that the child is enrolled in a special education program.

Applications will be reviewed by a panel to determine need and prioritize service. Vouchers are worth $100 and can be redeemed from Aug. 13-17. Caregivers who received a voucher last year will not be eligible to apply.

Contact Anne Oglesby at 272-5080 or Doris Ann Donovan at 277-2550 for information or directions.