KY Gov. Beshear presents key to 5 families in Mayfield home dedication
MAYFIELD, Ky. (KBSI) – Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman joined local leaders from The Hope Initiative to a new home dedication in Mayfield Friday morning for victims of the 2021 Mayfield tornado.
Gov. Beshear will be partnering with Hope Initiative to present keys to five families for new homes. The governor said more than $5 million for the project came from the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.
The Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund provided $500,000 to help build the five homes. The fund has supported The Hope Initiative’s building projects with $5.4 million total. Kroger provided “Welcome Home” kits for each family, which included food and cleaning supplies.
Friday’s ceremony is one of many attempts to help rebuild Mayfield after an EF4 tornado made impact on December 10, 2021.
“It’s incredibly special to be back in Mayfield today, celebrating with five more families as they get the keys to forever homes,” Gov. Beshear said. “I want to thank The Hope Initiative for their tireless work, every donor to the Team Western Kentucky Relief Fund who helped make this possible and Kroger for donating ‘Welcome Home’ kits with food and supplies for each family. Mayfield has such a bright future, and we will be here every step of the way as they keep moving forward.”
“The Hope Initiative continues to serve the needs of our community throughout the recovery process because of the kindness and generosity of so many partners. In our long-term efforts, the biggest need continues to be housing solutions for renters whose homes were lost or destroyed by the tornado,” said His House Ministries Lead Pastor Stephen Boyken, who serves as president of The Hope Initiative. “While we are celebrating progress today with the dedication of five more homes, there still remains a long path ahead of us on the road to recovery. We are grateful for the commitment to rebuild and the continued support of Gov. Beshear’s office. The financial support from the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund is allowing us to put the pieces and the people of our community back together one home at a time.”
“We’re honored to join in the celebration of the families moving into their homes,” said Kroger spokesperson Jessica Sharp. “Filled with food, toiletries and supplies needed to get started, these donations from Kroger are our way of saying a well-deserved ‘Welcome Home’ to our neighbors.”
The Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund has raised more than $52 million with donations from more than 150,000 people and businesses. The money raised helped pay funeral expenses for the families of the dead and provided assistance to survivors as well as local farmers. The remaining funds will be used to build houses.
In April 2022, through nonpartisan work with the General Assembly, Gov. Beshear also established the $120 million Western Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies, or SAFE, Fund to assist with tornado recovery.
Visit TeamWKYReliefFund.ky.gov for more information.
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