Jelly Roll.Photo:Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty
Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty
Jelly Rollwanted to donate some toys — and ended up making history.
The country star spoke to PEOPLE on the 2023CMA Awardsred carpet about how his ongoing toy drive in partnership with Walmart and several other brands grew to make a massive impact on Nashville.
Last month, Jelly Roll announced he was partnering with Hasbro, Coca-Cola, iHeartRadio and the Metro Nashville Police Department for a toy drive that kicked off Nov. 1 at Walmart’s Franklin, Tennessee location. Since then, the initiative has expanded to eight Walmart stores in total, and more companies have gotten involved.
“It started with me just thinking I’d pitch in $100,000 or something toward something to get some toys going,” the “Son of a Sinner” musician, 38, tells PEOPLE at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. “Then, I talked to my friends at Walmart and they said, ‘We can make this bigger. We can amplify this.'”
Check out PEOPLE’s full CMA Awards coverage to get the latest news on country music’s biggest night.
Those who’ve donated toys have even gotten to see Jelly Roll deliver free performances at select Walmart stores. But he didn’t expect the drive to become such a large event.
Jelly Roll.Jason Davis/WireImage
Jason Davis/WireImage
“I just called them to partner, like, ‘Hey, I wanna buy $100,000 worth of toys. Can I get a deal?’” recalls Jelly Roll. “They were like, ‘Hey, well, first of all, we’ll buy toys, and then we’ll open up our stores to you, and then Hasbro came in, and then Coca-Cola came in, and then the Nashville Predators came in, and then this thing started taking [on] a life of its own.”
He declares, “It’s gonna be the biggest toy drive in Nashville history.”
Bunnie XO and Jelly Roll.Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty
For Jelly Roll, who walked the carpet with his wife Bunnie XO, the nominations are enough to feel accomplished — especially since he’s also performing twice during the ceremony. “Win, lose or draw, I won tonight. If my name doesn’t get called, I won. Most nominated male opening the show, closing the show. It’s incredible,” he says.
source: people.com
