In less than an hour, tickets sold out for a comedy show that raises funds for country star Brad Paisley and his spouse Kimberly Williams-Paisley's The Store, which provides free groceries and other goods for low-income individuals and families in the Nashville area.
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Groceries with Dignity and Comedy Without will be held July 5 in Nashville at Zanie's and features rising comedy star Nate Bartgatze, Saturday Night Live veteran turned Hollywood star Kevin Nealon and alumni of legendary Los Angeles improv group the Groundlings.
Williams-Paisley is an actor and best-selling author. She, Paisley and Belmont University partnered to open The Store. It began operations on March 14, 2020 -- fresh off the East Nashville tornado and the beginning of the pandemic lockdown.
During a 2021 interview with NBC Nightly News, the couple reflected on The Store and what it means to give back to their community.
"I knew there was a need, but it's not until you open something like this that you really see it," Paisley said. "People were in tears. It was really a rewarding thing in the middle of one of the most challenging times we've ever seen."
Williams-Paisley explained that the overall goal of The Store is to help community members become self-sufficient over time.
"Our idea is to get people back on their feet on the road to self-sufficiency so they won't need us in a year," she said.
Paisley, the president of The Store's board of trustees, told The Tennessean that its purpose is to help those who've fallen on difficult times by treating them with kindness and dignity.
"This is a grocery store with dignity for people who have fallen on hard times," Paisley said. "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."
