NASHVILLE, TENNESEE – Country star Brad Paisley and actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley have broken ground on a free grocery store that will support needy families in Nashville, Tennessee.
On Wednesday Paisley got behind the controls a backhoe to dig up the first pile of dirt in the space that will become The Store, which is a partnership with his alma mater Belmont University.
Paisley donned a cowboy hat-shaped construction helmet for part of the ceremony.
“Hunger and food insecurity is a real issue in Nashville,” said Williams-Paisley. “One in seven people deal with food insecurity. That means they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. And it’s even worse for kids, one in five children.”
Paisley says his family volunteered at a similar store in California and loved the idea of giving parents dignity when they need help feeding their children.
Construction on the Nashville store is projected to be completed by the end of the year.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
