LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two major employers in Louisville are partnering to send aid to eastern Kentucky.
At 10 different locations across the state, including four in the Louisville area, Kroger is collecting flood relief supplies from shoppers through the end of Thursday. UPS will then deliver the donations to Manchester, Kentucky, where they'll be further dispersed to communities in need.
"We'd love to see these bins filled up. The more the better," said Justin Heckel, the public affairs & community relations manager at UPS.
Stores are accepting cleaning products like sanitizers, wipes and diapers. Kroger Corporate Affairs Manager Erin Grant said the request for hygiene items is very specific because that's where the need is.
Brooke Ratliff, store manager at the Prospect location on Timber Ridge Drive, told WHAS11 she asked if her location could be one of the ones to lead the charge to help.
It's personal for her. Ratliff and her husband are from Whitesburg, Kentucky, in Letcher County -- one of the hardest hit by floods. Images taken in that community last week show Whitesburg Middle School halfway immersed in water.
She said her family members are physically OK but are having to assess where they go from here.
"They had a couple feet of water in their homes, so right now that's where we're at to see if that can be fixed or not," Ratliff said. "And to see the schools underwater, and knowing that's my husband's childhood, it hits home."
It's the motivation for the two large bins sitting at the entrance of the store, where shoppers have been dropping off essential items all day Monday -- filling a major need from afar.
"The stores in the area were also affected, so we have a resource that they don't," Ratliff said. "We're able to provide the products they can't get their hands on right now."
The following stores are accepting donations:
12501 SHELBYVILLE ROAD
MIDDLETOWN KY 40243
5929 TIMBER RIDGE DRIVE
PROSPECT KY 40059
9080 TAYLORSVILLE ROAD
LOUISVILLE KY 40299
4915 DIXIE HIGHWAY
LOUISVILLE KY 40216
3175 BEAUMONT CENTRE CIR.
LEXINGTON KY 40513
3101 RICHMOND ROAD
LEXINGTON KY 405091709
311 BOONE STATION ROAD
SHELBYVILLE KY 40065
106 MARKETPLACE CIRCLE
GEORGETOWN KY 40324
1732 WEST HIGHWAY 192
LONDON KY 40741
14889 NORTH US HIGHWAY 25
CORBIN KY 40701
Kroger has also launched an in-store donation drive, where customers can round up their purchase totals at the cashier. The extra money will go to the American Red Cross' Eastern Kentucky chapter.
Both the Kroger and UPS Foundations are each making $25,000 grants to Volunteers of America Mid-States, to further contribute to flood relief efforts.
"It doesn't matter if it's the western part of our state or the eastern part of our state, our community comes together," said Natalie Pasquenza, vice president of external relations with Volunteers of America Mid-States.
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