Relief efforts, donation drives for Eastern KY continue. How you can help flood victims

Though final damage assessments won’t be complete for some time, the people of several Eastern Kentucky counties will need assistance to rebuild after devastating flooding beginning the evening of July 27 ripped through the area.

For those looking to donate or volunteer their time to help victims, we’ve rounded up some reputable resources you can consider giving to.

Call for volunteers

Disaster response organization All Hands and Hearts put out a call for volunteers to help distribute supplies, prepare meals and work through debris.

The organization is basing itself at County Line Community Church in Chavies, according to a release. The Perry County church is located at 12639 KY Highway 15. Volunteers will be in the area for at least six more weeks.

You can sign up to volunteer online, and the organization is also accepting monetary donations.

Charity Navigator has given the organization a score of 98.23 of 100.

Radio fundraiser

Bluegrass Care Navigators annual radio fundraiser will gather donations for Eastern Kentucky flood relief via the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund.

The event is set for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9 on 101.1 WSGS FM; you can also listen live online.

You can donate via check to the station by dropping off your gift to 516 Main St. in Hazard on Tuesday.

Donations for seniors

The Friends of the Lexington Senior Center is collecting supplies specifically for older individuals affected by flooding in Eastern Kentucky.

You can drop of material donations via drive-thru at the Lexington Senior Center at 195 Life Lane from Monday, Aug. 8 to Friday, Aug. 12. Drop-off hours are 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Organizers are requesting adult diapers, briefs, underpads, bathing wipes (incontinence supplies), nutritional shakes, socks, rubber shoes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, denture cleaning supplies, bug repellent, gloves, pet food, puzzle books, pens and reading glasses.

You can also write a note or leave a monetary gift via check to help purchase appliances. Checks can be mailed to Kentucky River Area Development District, 941 N. Main St., Hazard, KY 41701. Leave “Senior Flood Relief Fund” in the memo.

Louisville supply drive

The KFC Yum! Center and Pepsi are hosting a “Fill the Truck” supply drive Thursday, Aug. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Louisville arena’s outdoor plaza, according to a release.

The items will be delivered to Letcher County Central High School.

Items requested include blankets, towels, cleaning supplies, mops, brooms, buckets, shovels and non-perishable food.

American Red Cross

The Red Cross is working disaster response in Eastern Kentucky. To give to the organization, you can mail a check to your local chapter with the memo “Kentucky floods” along with a donation form or donate directly online.

Team Kentucky Relief Fund

This relief fund went live online Thursday afternoon.

“What we saw in response to the tornadoes in western Kentucky was pure love. We want to make sure we’re doing the same for the people of eastern Kentucky,” Beshear said Thursday afternoon. “So today, we’re giving everyone an opportunity to help our brothers and sisters in eastern Kentucky by setting up the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund.”

You can find the Team Kentucky fund online here.

“This will be a fund will be spent entirely to help the families that are impacted, and it will not just be the immediate relief fund,” Beshear said. “When we set up this fund, it’s about the next year, plus.”

GoFundMe

As GoFundMe online fundraisers pop up, the service is offering a “centralized hub” for verified campaigns. You can find verified GoFundMe campaigns for Eastern Kentucky flood victims online at https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/flood-relief/kentucky.

In a release, the platform said the verification helps protect donors.

Eastern Kentucky University

Eastern Kentucky University is asking faculty, staff, students, corporate and community partners to donate water, cleaning supplies, non-perishable food and trash bags to its community drive.

When: Thursday, Aug 4 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Eastern Kentucky University Center for the Arts, 822 Hall Drive, Richmond, KY

Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky

The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky announced on Twitter that it would be accepting donations through its Crisis Aid Fund.

According to a report from WYMT, former UN Ambassador Kelly Craft and husband Joe Craft, a native of Hazard, have pledged to match donations to the foundation up to $1 million.

The Central Appalachian Family Farm Fund, a Community Farm Alliance partnership with the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, is accepting donations to help small farmers in Eastern Kentucky impacted by the flooding. You can donate to that fund using this direct link.

Eastern Kentucky Mutual Aid

The mutual aid group, eKY Mutual Aid, has set up a flood relief fund and said it will be giving directly to flood victims in the area, along with local community groups responding to the crisis.

The mutual aid group encouraged people with specific needs to reach out through a private message via its Facebook page.

Kentucky Department of Agriculture

The state department of agriculture and Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation have partnered on a donation collection for flood victims.

You can donate to the effort online. According to a release, all funds will be administered directly to those affected by the deadly flooding.

Hardin County donation drive

The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office is collecting bottled water and gift cards to distribute to Eastern Kentuckians.

Drop-offs can be made on the lower level of the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, on the rear of the county government center, according to a release. Gift cards can be taken inside from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The address is 150 North Provident Way in Elizabethtown.

The sheriff’s office is asking specifically for Walmart gift cards, as the store is the most accessible in the area.

Fayette County Sheriff donation site

The Office of the Fayette County Sheriff is collecting relief supplies through Friday, Aug. 5.

You can donate bottled water, paper plates and utensils, individually packaged non-perishable food, gift cards, generators, baby supplies, clothes, bedding, paper towels, toilet paper and cleaning supplies, according to a release.

The drop-off location is 150 N. Limestone, Lexington, KY 40507.

Kroger donation sites

Kroger and UPS have partnered to collect and deliver supplies for the victims of flooding in Eastern Kentucky. Ten Kroger stores will serve as donation drop-off points.

Organizers are asking for specific donations, which can be placed in bins at the locations. Those donations include cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items, including baby wipes.

“Other types of donations will NOT be accepted, as they can overwhelm aid personnel managing and distributing donations,” the companies said in a release.

UPS will deliver the supplies Thursday.

The 10 locations collecting supplies are as follows:

• 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, 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 U.S. Highway 25, Corbin, KY 40701

University of Kentucky

On Friday in a campuswide message, University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto shared links to the school’s Basic Needs and Persistence Fund and its Crisis Program Gift Fund aimed at helping students affected by the flood.

ARH Foundation donation site

The Appalachian Regional Foundation has set up a donation drop-off site in Lexington.

Whitesburg

Whiteburg Mayor Tiffany Craft issued a call on her Facebook page for donations to be made and dropped off at Letcher County Central High School.

“We are in desperate need of clothing of all sizes. A few of our mothers are in need of bottles, diapers and pull-ups,” Craft wrote.

The location is 435 Cougar Drive, Whitesburg, KY 41858.

Donation drop-off point

In a release Thursday, state Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles said the agency would collect donations at its Frankfort offices through Aug. 5.

The department is asking for bottled water, toiletries and non-perishable goods.

Donations can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at 105 Corporate Drive, Suite A, Frankfort, KY 40601.

Appalshop

The media and arts center Appalshop, based in Whitesburg in Letcher County, tweeted Thursday it was collecting verified ways to donate to recovery efforts and resources for flood victims.

On Aug. 5, Appalshop put out a call for volunteers for the “coming weeks and months” ahead. Information on volunteering with the organization can be found here.

Eastern KY Flood Relief Fund

According to a news release, the Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities/Kentucky Center for Assisted Living (KAHCF/KCAL) has set up a relief fund for its long-term care members and their staff affected by the recent flooding.

The proceeds from this fund will go directly to those working in long-term care, the release said. The staff affected from the flooding are in Perry, Knott, Letcher and Clay counties.

To donate, visit KAHCF/KCAL’s PayPal account at paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=UF24USLLJCZAA.

GlobalGiving

Nonprofit GlobalGiving has launched an online campaign to raise money for flood victims in Eastern Kentucky.

The organization said it will focus on giving the money to local organizations for distribution.

GlobalGiving has a score of 98.23 of 100, per Charity Navigator.

Hindman Settlement School

The Hindman Settlement School was reportedly devastated by flooding. You can donate directly to flood relief online.

Christian Appalachian Project

CAP has assembled a donation drop-off point in Lexington to aid those in Eastern Kentucky.

You can drop by with cleaning supplies, water and other essentials at 2528 Palumbo Drive. The site will take donations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

Items being accepted at this time include bottled water, cleaning supplies, Dawn dishwashing detergent, shovels, 5-gallon buckets, bleach, scrub brushes, cleaning towels, household cleaners, disinfectant soap, dust masks, gloves and garbage bags.

The organization is also accepting monetary donations online.

Save the Children

Save the Children, based out of Connecticut, says it will provide bottled water, diapers, wipes, cribs, hygiene goods and more to those in need.

The organization is taking donations through an online portal.

Charity Navigator gave the organization a rating of 91.82 out of 100.

This story will be updated.

This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 12:22 PM.