In August 2024, country music star Brad Paisley and his wife, actor Kimberly Williams-Paisley, pledged the first $1 million towards a $5 million campaign to open a second location of their nonprofit grocery store in Nashville, Tennessee. The new site opened on January 14, 2026, at TriStar Centennial Medical Center, allowing eligible families to select groceries without paying. Reports by Southern Living, TriStar Health and local broadcaster WSMV document the expansion, which aims to help more people facing food insecurity while preserving their dignity and freedom of choice.
The store, called The Store , was co-founded by the couple and first opened in March 2020 on the campus of Belmont University, Paisley’s alma mater. WSMV reported in January 2026 that the original location had served 2,200 families in 2025 and had developed a substantially longer waiting list. The broadcaster also reported a 40% increase in families facing food insecurity over the preceding year, citing the local situation as a key reason for the expansion.
Referred families can choose from fresh produce, meat, dairy products and pantry staples according to their needs and dietary preferences. TriStar Centennial’s leadership said some hospital staff had been spending their own money to help patients obtain food and clothing. Unlike a conventional food pantry, where people may receive pre-packed food boxes, it operates like a grocery store. The model is designed to make receiving food assistance feel less like accepting a handout and more like an ordinary shopping experience. The organisation works through referrals from nonprofit and government agencies, and its assistance is intended to help people through periods of financial difficulty as they work towards greater stability. The partnership also connected food assistance with healthcare. The new arrangement was intended to create a more organised way to connect people experiencing food insecurity with assistance close to the hospital. The second store was designed to increase the nonprofit’s capacity at a time when demand was rising. The second site also offers emergency clothing, extending assistance beyond food. The organisation’s broader services include support such as counselling, nutrition education, cooking classes and financial planning. These programmes are intended to help shoppers manage immediate needs while working towards longer-term stability. For the Paisleys, the purpose of the project extends beyond providing groceries. The Store’s model lets shoppers make their own selections rather than receive identical food packages, allowing households to choose items that fit their circumstances. That distinction can matter for families with different dietary requirements, children, older relatives or limited cooking facilities. Access to fresh food, meat and dairy also broadens the choices available to shoppers.
The original store opened on March 12, 2020, just days after a devastating tornado outbreak struck the area and shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted normal operations. The couple subsequently partnered with Belmont University to establish a similar initiative in Nashville. The organisation adapted during the early months of the pandemic, offering curbside collection and home delivery, particularly for older people. It continued developing its services as the needs of local families became clearer.