LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear is asking for help to spread holiday cheer to families in need in Eastern Kentucky. 

Beshear has launched the Eastern Kentucky Toy Drive to help ensure children in areas impacted by the devastating flooding in July have a Christmas to remember.

Items are being collected for infants through 18 years of age. Beshear says art supplies, stuffed animals and tablets are among the donations most sought after.

Beshear said for a child to receive just one item when all their toys are gone "makes an immense difference."

Toys can be donated in Louisville on the following days:

  • Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. during the Bellarmine vs UofL women's Basketball fame at Freedom Hall
  • Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. during UofL vs Florida A&M men's Basketball game at the KFC Yum! Center

Donations can also be mailed directly to Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, located at 75 Theatre Court in Prestonburg, Kentucky. 

"I know somewhere in the ballpark of 5,700 kids have been effected by the flooding," said Beshear.

Even though the flooding happened during the summertime, Beshear says she wants families to know their struggles aren't forgotten. 

"While the people of Eastern Kentucky are resilient and they're strong and every day Andy and I have seen them putting one foot in front of the other, I'm hoping this toy drive just gives everybody a moment to pause and be happy and see Christmas miracles happen," she said.

From July 26-29, rainfall led to catastrophic damage in parts of Eastern Kentucky. The rainfall was "historically unheard of," according to the National Weather Service. 

Many homes and businesses were completely damaged. 43 people died as a result of the floods. 

Crews completed 1,334 rescues. The Kentucky Air National Guard rescued 338 people by air and 59 by boat. The Tennessee National Guard rescued 157 by air. Kentucky State Police assisted with 624 rescues, while the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife helped with 130 water rescues.

Beshear's first toy drive took place in the wake of the deadly 2021 December tornadoes in Western and Central Kentucky.

"As so many people were doing in the aftermath, I was thinking of how I could help. The idea of the toy drive came to mind being that it was right around Christmas time and families had so many more pressing issues on their minds than Santa Claus," Beshear said. 

She says the Western Kentucky Toy Drive received about 200,000 toys from all over the world. 

"When Kentucky faces a crisis I feel like Kentucky pulls together. It's really incredible to be in a place where people care this much about each other," said Beshear.

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