As Hallmark Channel talent and executives kicked off the network’s 16th annual Countdown to Christmas holiday programming lineup with several star-studded celebrations, the two dozen stars who gathered in Nashville for the festivities took time to focus on giving back together.
The stars split up to volunteer at two local nonprofits — The Store, founded by actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley and country star Brad Paisley, and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. What they did to help families in need made our hearts burst!
Hallmark Channel Stars Stuffed Stockings for The Store’s Upcoming Holiday Event
The Store is a free grocery store that provides “nutritious food choices and access to supportive services in a dignified, loving environment,” serving as a lifeline for families facing hunger.
Kimberly and Brad got the idea from a similar facility in California where they volunteered with their kids. Since opening in 2020, The Store has provided groceries to thousands, including many items not typically found in food pantries, like fresh produce and frozen foods.
Over 15,000 people have volunteered at The Store, and that list now includes a bunch of big-hearted Hallmark stars.
On October 16, Brad and Kimberly welcomed fan-favorites including Tyler Hynes, Brooke D’Orsay, Autumn Reeser, Benjamin Ayres, Paul Campbell, Ginna Claire Mason, and — of course — Kimberly’s sister, Ashley Williams, to help them get ready for their third annual Toy Store event.
In early December, with toys donated by the community, 2,000 families will get to shop for free gifts they can give to their kids for the holidays, Kimberly shared in a social media post.
The Hallmark crew filled stockings with goodies, and Ashley posted a beautiful video of their efforts, writing, “Food insecurity in the Nashville area is at a ten year high and what this place is doing to feed locals is BRILLIANT. I love love love hooking arms with my best friends for a cause I believe in.”
Ashley told EntertainmentNow she hopes that by seeing their favorite actors giving back, fans may want to reach out and help her sister’s nonprofit, too. Anyone can join in the effort from afar by donating money to purchase toys or by sending items from The Store’s Amazon wish list here.
Kids & Staff at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Were Thrilled to Meet Hallmark Channel Stars
Meanwhile, another group of Hallmark stars headed to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University, including Lacey Chabert, Nikki DeLoach, Erin Cahill, Sarah Drew, Jonathan Bennett, and B.J. Britt. Their visit included a stop at Seacrest Studios, a state-of-the-art, multimedia studio that “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest has built at multiple children’s hospitals, providing content for young patients, hosting musical artists, and letting kids use their creativity.
The group of Hallmark stars brought cheer to Vanderbilt staff members and young patients, including 19-year-old Ivan, who was born with multiple conditions including cerebral palsy and speaks with an eye gaze device, according to the Instagram page he runs with his mom, Cheyenne.
Captioning a video of Ivan’s meet-up with multiple stars, Cheyenne wrote, “Your channel, actors and entire presence exudes joy and love and we are so thankful to get to experience this in the hospital today! Ivan loved spending time with you all and we are so thankful for the kindness and support you have shown!”
When a pediatric trauma nurse named Mel posted a photo of herself with the group in her Instagram Stories and wrote, “This was so sweet of all these lovely people and so much fun! Love you all so much!”
Cahill shared her Story and shared, “It was the most incredible gift to be at the Children’s Hospital yesterday. Thank you @hallmarkchannelpr for making this happen!”
Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital is a nonprofit that depends on donations to operate, and is hosting a holiday toy drive to provide gifts to its brave patients.
Love reading and hearing stories about people giving back and having Hallmark stars involved is always a special treat! I try to volunteer when I can and its always nice to make someone else’s day a little better whenever I can!