Culture October 3, 2018

Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley are opening a free grocery store in Nashville

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Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Brad Paisley attend a benefit event for The Michael J. Fox Foundation at the Hilton New York on Nov. 11, 2017 in New York City.

Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley are working to open a free grocery story in Nashville to help the community.

Known as The Store, the non-profit will help individuals and families for a year as they work to become self-sufficient. The innovative concept is patterned after the 100-year-old Unity Shoppe in Santa Barbara, California.

“We took our boys to Unity Shoppe to teach them about serving others and giving back to people in need,” Paisley explained. “And we came away surprised by what the organization had taught us.”

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“Most people don’t want handouts,” he added. “They want dignity and respect. Most people want to become self-sufficient.”

Paisley's alma mater, Belmont University, provided the property for the project, which will be located nearby in a bustling neighborhood of Nashville.

The Store is currently fundraising in advance of its anticipated groundbreaking next year.