Country music star Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, want to help the less fortunate and those in need. The couple runs an organization they started in 2020 called The Store, a Nashville charity that provides clothing, food, and other items to those in need. It’s made to resemble a regular store, but there’s a catch: all of the items are free.
A description on The Store’s website reads, “The Store operates as a year-round free grocery store allowing people to shop for their basic needs. 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.”
The Paisleys also created a holiday-specific effort with The Store this season that allows families in need to pick up toys and other items for their children, a much-needed endeavor to boost spirits. According to The Associated Press, at the two-day event, 400 families were able to pick up toys, clothes, and other gifts for the Christmas holiday. It’s something Paisley said is deeply important to him and his wife, as he believes it meets both physical and emotional needs.
Paisley told The AP, “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.” His wife added The Store is an opportunity to help meet people where they are in their time of need. She said, “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. It’s just a community, and we’re all in it together.”
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She’s hoping to continue growing the effort to meet expanding needs across the U.S. Another organization inspired the Store called Unity Shoppe in Santa Barbara, California, an organization that has been helping those in need for more than a century. The Paisleys became aware of the organization and were immediately struck by its efforts.
Paisley said on The Shop’s website, “We took our boys to Unity Shoppe to teach them about serving others and giving back to people in need, 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.” So, they took those lessons and launched The Store in Nashville in an effort to bring those same values to their community.
CBN Digital previously covered the couple’s plans to launch The Store. “This is a grocery store with dignity for people who have fallen on hard times,” Paisley told The Tennesseean at the time. “All of us are one unforeseen disaster away from rock bottom. It’s nice to think about a place where, when that happens to someone, they can use it to get back on their feet.”