Country music singer Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, recently launched a special Christmas version of their “The Store” charity.
The Store, originally opened in 2020, is located in Nashville, Tennessee.
“The Store operates as a year-round free grocery store allowing people to shop for their basic needs,” reads a description on The Store’s website. “There is no charge to those referred or to the people and agencies that send them. They may shop for food to supplement their income during times of crisis and as they work toward self-sufficiency.”
This year, The Store opened for a special two-day event where 400 families were able to pick up clothes, toys, and gifts for Christmas.
“The emotional aspect of being able to give your child something your child wanted versus just something to sort of get you through the holidays, that’s such a load off the minds of somebody who maybe didn’t think they were going to be able to do that,” Paisley told the AP.
Volunteers and staff from Belmont University and The Store spent hours unpacking and organizing all the donated toys and items just before The Store opened. About 2,000 items in total were donated from both residents in the Nashville area and the First Responder’s Children Foundation, according to the Associated Press.
“People come on hard times and we want this to be a safe, welcoming place for everybody, whether you’re volunteering or whether you’re needing the services,” Williams-Paisley said. “It’s just a community, and we’re all in it together.”
The couple launched the year-round store after visiting another organization called Unity Shoppe in Santa Barbara, California.
“We took our boys to Unity Shoppe to teach them about serving others and giving back to people in need,” Paisley said on The Shop’s website. “And we came away surprised by what the organization had taught us. Most people don’t want handouts; they want dignity and respect. Most people want to become self-sufficient.”
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Photo Courtesy: Instagram/@kimberlywilliamspaisley/12/9/23
Video Courtesy: CBS News via YouTube
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
