Donations from one-day goods drive will support Kentucky Domestic Violence Association shelters
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Surrounded by donated items stacked in the Capitol Rotunda, First Lady Jane Beshear has announced the successful outcome of Shop & Share Day, a one-day drive to provide domestic violence shelters with needed goods.
The combined goods and monetary donations were estimated at more than $533,000, Mrs. Beshear said.
“Despite inclement weather, Kentuckians turned out on Saturday to support our domestic violence shelters, victims and victim’s families,” said Mrs. Beshear. “Thank you to the many volunteers who graciously offered their time and to the thousands of people who bought and donated items. This outstanding contribution will go a long way toward helping domestic violence victims in our state.”
Shop & Share Day was Saturday, Feb. 2 at Kentucky Kroger and Food City stores. Volunteers at each store provided shoppers with a list of needed items, allowing shoppers to purchase and donate the items directly at the stores.
On Saturday, the First Lady was joined by Madeline Abramson, Dr. Alexandra Gerassimides and Northern Kentucky University President Geoffrey Mearns and his wife Jennifer Mearns to participate in taking donations.
All collected contributions will be given to 15 Kentucky Domestic Violence Association (KDVA) shelters throughout the state.
Joining Mrs. Beshear today to thank Kentuckians for their contributions were Rep. Regina Bunch, KDVA President Darlene Thomas, Girl Scout Troop No.1528 of Williamsburg and representatives from Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana and Girl Scouts of Kentucky Wilderness Road Council.
“Your home should be your safe haven; the place you find the greatest sense of love, peace and comfort,” said Rep. Regina Bunch. “It shouldn’t be a place where you live in constant fear, just awaiting the inevitable. Our domestic violence shelters help victims build new homes and I thank all of the Kentuckians who donated to Shop & Share to help support those shelters.”
Organizational partners for 2013 Shop & Share include the First Lady’s Office, KDVA, Kroger, Food City, the Kentucky Commission on Women, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, the Girls Scouts of Wilderness Road Council and the Kentucky Drug Court.
"Thanks to the First Lady's vision, help from hundreds of volunteers and the generosity of citizens around the Commonwealth, our domestic violence programs are able to help meet the basic needs of our families. We are blessed,” said KDVA President Darlene Thomas.
The KDVA was founded in 1981 and is a coalition of Kentucky’s 15 domestic violence programs providing services to victims of domestic violence and their children. Its purpose is to provide mutual support, information, resource sharing and technical assistance; to coordinate statewide services; and to advocate collectively on behalf of victims of domestic violence. For more information on the KDVA, please visit http://www.kdva.org/.