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Brad Paisley Officially Begins Construction on New Grocery Store with Completely Free Food

By Sarah Carri April 9, 2019 at 8:02am

Homelessness and hunger are serious problems across our great states. According to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Nashville, Tennessee, “1 in 8 Middle Tennesseans including 1 in 5 children struggle with hunger every day.”

This is a heartbreaking statistic, which is why country star Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley decided to invoke change in their local community.

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RepostBy @kimberlywilliamspaisley: “Brad & I want to thank you all for your support of our nonprofit, The Store. We have exciting news. An anonymous donor has committed to match up to $500,000 in donations that are made by March 1, 2019! If you want to double your gift, go to thestore.org to donate today. THANK YOU!! ???#thursdaymotivation @thestore_nashville” (via #InstaRepost @AppsKottage)

A post shared by The Store (@thestore_nashville) on Dec 20, 2018 at 4:00pm PST

In 2018, the couple announced their plans to open “The Store” in Nashville — a place where those who struggle with knowing where their next meal will come from can go and shop for food.

While The Store will be set up just like a regular grocery store, everything within will be absolutely, 100 percent free.

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So many people are making great choices in their lives,” the actress explained. “It’s not like they’ve made major mistakes, they just need a little extra help and we want to be a resource for those people.” – @kimberlywilliamspaisley http://www.thestore.org/ #thestore

A post shared by The Store (@thestore_nashville) on Jan 20, 2019 at 4:17pm PST

Does your local community have a food bank like this?

In partnership with Second Harvest and Belmont University — where Brad attended college — the Paisley’s dream of building this game changer is finally becoming a reality.

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on April 3, 2019, Us Weekly reported. The “Waitin’ on a Woman” singer even posed with the backhoe for the camera.

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We broke ground today on @thestore_nashville!! Or more specifically, I did, in this backhoe. And no one was hurt! There are a lot of ways to be a part of this new charity, go to thestore.org to find out how you can help!

A post shared by Brad Paisley (@bradpaisley) on Apr 3, 2019 at 1:47pm PDT

“We love this idea of a free grocery store where people can come in and make choices for their families, and kids can see their parents in a position of power,” Kimberly said at the ceremony, according to Us Weekly.

“We really want to get people before it’s a major crisis,” she continued. “We want to help people in this gap where they’re trying to get back on their feet and they just need a little bit of extra help.”

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@amerigroup Kelly Shearin Director, Member Experience and Strategic Partnerships recently attended the groundbreaking ceremony of ‘The Store’ Nashville based year-round free grocery store allowing people to shop for their basic needs. Clients are given the opportunity to come to The Store for a one-year period. 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. Here’s a look at her trip to participate in the groundbreaking

A post shared by The Store (@thestore_nashville) on Apr 5, 2019 at 10:01am PDT

The Store will be unique and was inspired by a trip the Paisleys took to California with their two boys. The Unity Shoppe opened their eyes to a better way to help those in need.

Customers of The Store will be referred by non-profit and government agencies. They will be able to shop for nutritional foods for free for one year, according to Belmont News.

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Ground has officially been broken! What an experience! The groundbreaking ceremony was a great success! Excited for the future and to see how this place grows #TheStore #loveatthecore

A post shared by The Store (@thestore_nashville) on Apr 3, 2019 at 11:21am PDT

We love this idea! It’s a great way to give back while also allowing needy families to receive help with dignity. We can’t wait to see what The Store looks like when it’s finished. To keep up with their journey, follow The Store on Instagram.

Does your local community have a food bank that looks like this? If not, maybe now is a good time to start something new!

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Tags:

Celebrities, Entertainment, Homeless

Sarah Carri

Contributor, Lifestyle

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Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.

Sarah's experience as a successful working stay-at-home mom and business owner has given her the chance to write and research often. She stays up to date on the latest in entertainment and offers her views on celebrity stories based on her wide knowledge of the industry. Her success as a former preschool teacher and licensed daycare provider lend to her know-how on topics relating to parenting and childhood education.

Her thoughts on faith and family issues stem from home life and ministry work. Sarah takes time to attend workshops and classes annually that help her to improve and hone her writing craft. She is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature program and her writing has been acclaimed by ACFW and ECPA.

Education

Institute of Children's Literature, Art Institute of Phoenix (Advertising), University of California Irvine (Theater), Snow College (Early Childhood Education)

Location

Arizona

Languages Spoken

English

Topics of Expertise

Entertainment, Faith