Grandma Stand Expands to Six US Cities Offering Free Listening

The Grandma Stand, a traveling booth where senior women offer free listening, hugs, and advice, has expanded beyond New York City to six other US cities including Denver and McKinney, Texas. Founded in 2012 by Mike Matthews after his grandmother Eileen Matthews—then 96—listened to a coworker via laptop from her home in Sammamish, Washington, the stand originally operated in NYC locations like Central Park and subway platforms. After Eileen's death in 2018 at age 101, the stand was retired until 2024, when Matthews revived it with a purple paint job (Eileen's favorite color) and volunteer grandmas. Now in 2026, the stand rotates grandmas weekly with discussion prompts such as "Who's someone you need to forgive?" and "What's bringing you joy right now?" Volunteers are recruited through word-of-mouth and must embody Eileen's qualities: listening without lecturing or problem-solving. Each stand costs $800 to build, and donations are accepted to create more. The initiative aims to combat loneliness and foster intergenerational connection.