LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — As hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians prepare to lose their SNAP benefits, a Louisville business is stepping up with a message that transcends political divides: kindness knows no party lines.
The Kentucky Shop launched their "Kindness is Kentuckian" t-shirt campaign today, with 100% of proceeds going directly to food banks across all 120 Kentucky counties over the next two months.
"This is how we founded our business. It started as a charitable giving initiative in 2013, so we've been doing this since the beginning. We've done 30 different fundraisers and raised a little bit of money," said Rick Paynter, co-owner of The Kentucky Shop.
That "little bit" has actually totaled nearly $1.8 million over the years, helping victims of flooding in eastern Kentucky and tornado damage in western parts of the state.
Now, with more than 600,000 Kentuckians set to lose SNAP benefits in November, the Paynters saw an urgent need to act.
"We woke up this morning, decided our company, the Kentucky Shop, was gonna do something for good, and with SNAP benefits expiring in November, at the point where we're at, we thought 'How can we incorporate a t-shirt and give back?'" Paynter said.
Within hours, Paynter and his wife Joni had created the design, and the "Kindness is Kentuckian" shirts were printed and ready for sale - a wearable reminder that compassion has no political boundaries.
"For us, this is not a partisan topic. Food and healthcare, these are the basics of life everyone should be afforded regardless of where they come from and how they come here, it's what we founded our business on, and so 'Kindness is Kentuckian' is the motto we hope to spread, and we think this is just about helping your neighbors out, it's just looking out for one another like we're supposed to," Paynter said.
The shirts are available online here or at their store location on East High Street in Lexington.
