Madison County is doing everything it can to make sure adopted and foster children feel safe and comfortable this winter.
The Madison County Foster and Adoptive Parent Association collected donations at the "Drop Your Drawers...and Socks Too" drive.
People were asked to donate new socks and underwear for adoptive, kinship and foster children in Madison County. The clothing will be used to prepare kits for children, until they can get more clothing and supplies.
The vice president of the association stressed the importance of these types of drives for children.
"They often come with literally the clothes on their back, and so, these kits, it's so important to give them dignity, but also to give them enough to get through the next day or two and to feel comfortable," Patrick Streeter said.
More than 9,000 items were collected from 30 different drop-off locations. The association also received a $5,000 grant from Quantitech in Action. Academy Sports helped in getting shoes from different stores across the southeast in different sizes and styles. They also provided a discount.
Right now, there are around 500 children in foster care and only about 200 foster families. In the state of Alabama, there are about 6,000 kids in foster care. Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville lead the state in the amount of children being raised by their grandparents.
