UPDATED

This weekend Kentucky’s First Lady Jane Beshear stopped by the Martha Layne Collins Boulevard Kroger as part of the annual Shop and Share event. Beshear was joined by a local girl scout troop, about 30 students, Victor E. Viking and NKU’s First Lady Jennifer Mearns to “stand up against domestic violence.”

“Despite inclement weather, Kentuckians turned out on Saturday to support our domestic violence shelters, victims and victim’s families,” Beshear said in a press release, the Shop and Share event raised $533,000 on Saturday.

A member from a local shelter told NKU First Lady Jennifer Mearns that the money and supplies raised in that one day is enough to supply goods to the people who come for help for one year.

Shop and Share is a joint initiative with Kroger, Kentucky Domestic Violence Association, Kentucky Commission on Women, General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Kentucky Drug Court, Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana and the Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road to benefit the state’s domestic violence shelters. Participants are asked to shop at Kroger and donate some of their purchased items to the cause.

Spanish education senior Maddie Mann volunteered at the event not only to help out with the event, but to “show the community we’re there, too.”

“The First Lady seemed really thankful,” she said. “She was really impressed with how many students showed up to help.”

Mearns also said Beshear was impressed because the NKU students were the only college students volunteering throughout the state, according to the First Lady.

“It was exciting to see the support of students at such short notice,” Mearns said.

Volunteers at each store provided shoppers with a list of needed items, allowing shoppers to purchase and donate the items directly in the stores. Beshear walked through Kroger’s aisles with volunteers and students to collect the donations.

Katie Herschede, President Mearns’ executive assistant, helped out at the event and considered it a “resounding success.” She also heard from the state that “Northern Kentucky hit it out of the park.”

“It was a great opportunity to raise awareness about domestic violence and Northern Kentucky’s Women’s Crisis Center,” Herschede said.