Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley donate 1 million meals to fight food insecurity in the US

Country singer Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley, an actress, have committed to donating one million meals to the hungry in the United States. The donation comes at a time when there has been a sharp increase in the number of households that are food insecure due to the ongoing public health crisis. The initiative has been dubbed the "Million Meal Donation Tour" and is a way to commemorate Hunger Action Month, which takes place every single year in September. It is a partnership between the food brand Tiller & Hatch, in which the Paisleys are partners, and Feeding America, CNN reports.

For two weeks, Tiller & Hatch will travel to 15 different cities in the nation and make food donations to local food banks within the cities. The Million Meal Donation Tour has already kicked off; its first stop was the city of Detroit last week. In a video uploaded to Facebook, the Country star stated, "We're on a mission to help those struggling with hunger and food insecurity. And, due to the pandemic, it's a real crisis." The power couple is building on their previous efforts to fight hunger in the US. In the past, they have launched similar initiatives to do so.

The duo has partnered with Belmont University to establish a free grocery store called The Store in Nashville, for instance. The Store is located right next to the University's ministry center, making it accessible to all, and provides free food to people in need. Actress Williams-Paisley added in the video regarding the current situation, "Many people who never thought they'd need food assistance are now seeking it." As per reports from Feeding America, over 54 million people are likely to experience food insecurity this year. This includes 18 million children in the country. "That's one in four children," she added. "It's heartbreaking."

Of course, fans of the Paisleys applauded their efforts. Taking to the comments, many praised the Million Meal Donation Tour initiative. One user wrote, "Love this! It’s scary when you don’t have enough food to eat. We were there once many years ago. When we got back on our feet I took our kids up to the local food pantry to volunteer to give back. They were shocked at how many people used it. They are always in such dire need. We do everything we can to help them out." Another commented, "There aren’t enough thanks for what y’all are doing. No one in this country should go hungry, especially children. Again, thank you."