A very classy response from Brad and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
If you’re on social media, you’re probably already sick of hearing about the wedding between pop superstar Taylor Swift and her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, which happened today at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Permits filed with the city for street closures from July 2-4 reveal that the couple expect to host around 1,000 guests at the event, there were tons of celebrities spotted on their way to the venue today, and it was previously reported that the wedding will feature performances from Tim McGraw and Stevie Nicks, which remains to be confirmed.
Last month, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle revealed hat the couple had a rule that no one bring any gifts, though he also admitted that he was probably going to break the rule and get something for Kelce, a rare old coin.
And though they’re asking guests not to bring gifts, the couple kicked off their wedding week by donating a total of $26 million to 20 different charities across the country, and while most of the recipients are in New York where the couple tied the knot, they also made donations to several organizations in cities that have ties to the couple, including Los Angeles, Kansas City, Kelce’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio and Swift’s hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania.
The couple, who have a combined net worth of around $2.8 billion ($2.1 billion of which is thanks to Swift), also made a donation to a charity in Nashville, given her close ties to the city and its music industry.
In Music City, the lucky recipient was The Store, a nonprofit grocery store founded by Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams Paisley. The organization serves as a completely free, referral-based grocery store to provide dignified access to food and other support services for families facing food insecurity, operating like a regular supermarket with volunteers and offering services like music therapy and financial literacy.
It’s designed to remove the shame out of getting donations and food assistance, letting people “shop” with choice, and also runs seasonal programs like a toy store for holidays.
After the donation, The Store took to social media to express their thanks to the couple. And while we don’t know how much they received (other charities have revealed that their portion of the donation was $2 million), The Store calls the gift “transformative.”
Of course Taylor and Brad go way back: Swift appeared in the music video for his song “Online,” and the pop star opened for Paisley, along with Kellie Pickler, way back in 2007 on his Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour, where the openers even pranked their headliner while out on the road.
And the couple took to Instagram last night, on the eve of the wedding, to express their gratitude for the very generous donation, with Brad saying he was “very excited” about it:
“Okay, on the eve of the wedding of Tay and Trav, this is really an amazing thing to think about the gift that they gave the store. We just wanted to take a second and say, it’s transformative, it will feed so many families, and what a way to start a marriage. I’m very excited.”
Kimberly added that food insecurity is at a 10-year high in Nashville, and the timing of the donation was ” critical.” She says they are “really grateful” for their generosity, and congratulated them on the wedding:
“We are so, so grateful for your donation. This is gonna go such a long way as Brad said. Food insecurity is at a 10-year high in Nashville, and the timing is just so critical. We’re just really, really grateful for your generosity, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.”
They looked very dressed up, I’m sure they were headed to the rehearsal dinner (or welcome dinner, whatever it was) when they filmed it, and it was very kind of them to publicly thank the couple like that:
“Taking a moment to say a special thank you to Taylor and Travis for their amazing donation and congratulations on their upcoming wedding!”
It’s really cool to know how many Nashville families that money is going to help:
Along with The Store, the couple also donated to several national organizations, including another one founded by a country music legend: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides free books to children every month from birth until they turn 5.
Dolly already shared a video thanking the couple for their generous donation, as well:
