Country Singer Brad Paisley and Wife Open FREE Grocery Story to Serve Those in Need

Will Maule : Oct 8, 2018
Faithwire.com

"Most people don't want handouts. They want dignity and respect. Most people want to become self-sufficient." -Brad Paisley

(Nashville, TN)—[Faithwire.com] Famed country singer Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley have collaborated with Belmont University [a Christian university in Nashville] to set up a free grocery store to serve those in need. (Photo: Brad and Kimberly Williams Paisley/via The Store)

"The Store" can be found at 2005 12th Ave. S. next to Belmont University's Ministry Center, and is being run in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and other organizations to ensure the provision of both fresh and long-life groceries. The store will provide families with everything they need for a whole year as they plan to get back on track.

"This is a grocery store with dignity for people who have fallen on hard times," said Paisley, president of The Store's board of trustees, as reported by The Tennessean. "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."

The initiative hopes to provide food for some 3,000 people per year, functioning on a referral basis through non-profit's and government agencies. "It's that Billy Hill song, ‘There's Too Much Month at the End of the Money,'" said Pete Fisher, co-chair of The Store and CEO of the Academy of Country Music. "A lot of times when people fall on tough times, they don't need a lifeline for a lifetime, they just need a bridge and the store affords those families a dignified way to cross that bridge and achieve that self-sufficiency."

The idea behind this incredible work of compassion was birthed out of real-life experience. As the Paisleys prepared for thanksgiving one year, Kimberly noticed that her kids were acting spoiled and overly-entitled when it came to the gifts they desired. So, to help them gain some perspective, the couple marched their boys down to the Unity Shoppe in Santa Barbara, California, and asked if they could help out. It turned out to be a profound experience for the entire family.

"We took our boys to Unity Shoppe to teach them about serving others and giving back to people in need," Paisley said at The Store'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"... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here.

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