A local woman is marking a decade of dedication to children entering foster care with her initiative known as the Buddy Drive.

The drive, which collects stuffed animals for kids in DeKalb, Cherokee, and Jackson counties, has been ongoing for 10 years.

Kelli Messina started the Buddy Drive as a way to give back to children in foster care.

"I got to thinking about the children here in my county that go into foster care and what all they go through and I wanted to find a way to give back to our kids," Messina said.

The Buddy Drive collects donations to purchase Scentsy Buddies, soft and scented stuffed animals, for children entering foster care.

"When children first go into foster care there's a lot of things going on. It's very scary for them it's unknown times and no one can really tel

See Full Page