Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley Provide 400 Families with Holiday Gifts Through Free Toy Store

This holiday season, Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley are giving back more than usual.

After starting The Store in Nashville in 2020 to provide free groceries to families living in poverty, the couple expanded the initiative over the weekend with a free toy store aimed at making it easier to give to those in need this holiday season.

On Friday, the Associated Press reported that The Store held a two-day event where 400 families could shop for toys, video games, stuffed animals, scooters, clothing, makeup and musical instruments — continuing the organization’s goal of helping Nashville residents living below the federal poverty line.

Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s Free Grocery has delivered nearly 1.3 million meals a year

Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Brad Paisley. Jason Kempin/Getty

Paisley, 51, told the newspaper: “The emotional aspect of being able to give your child something that your child wanted, not just something to get you through the holidays, it’s such a burden on someone who maybe didn’t think they would be able to do it. ”

The free toy store was set up by volunteers and staff from Belmont University and The Store, who also provided a wrapping station for customers to wrap approximately 2,000 items donated by Nashville residents and the First Responders Children’s Foundation. While parents browse the store for gifts, their children can stay at the nearby church to play and drink hot cocoa.

“People come in during difficult times and we want this to be a safe and welcoming place for everyone, whether you’re volunteering or needing services,” Williams-Paisley, 52, told the AP. “It’s just a community and we’re all in it together.”

Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley on the key to their 18-year marriage: ‘Focus on the laughter’

Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Brad Paisley in Nashville in April 2023.

Jason Kempin/Getty

While the couple hopes the toy store will repeat itself, Williams-Paisley noted that The Store needs donations throughout the year to continue providing free food to Nashville residents in need.

“We’re still not serving everyone we want to serve. Food insecurity is on the rise. The USDA just released its report that says 17 million households in this country face food insecurity and that’s on the rise as of 2021,” she said. . “We have so much that we want to do. And really like the toy store has shown us that we can continue and we can continue to expand and grow.”

In April 2021, the couple spoke to PEOPLE about delivering nearly 1.3 million meals during The Store’s first year. “This was our dream,” Williams-Paisley said at the time. “People will be able to come and shop with dignity and make a choice for their family.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education