Photo: Getty Images
Jelly Roll is giving back to the Nashville community in a big way this Christmas.
According to CMT, the "Son of a Sinner" star delivered nearly 8,000 toys to The Last Minute Toy Store, gifting underprivileged Middle Tennessee families multiple reasons to smile this season.
Nashville Sheriff Daron Hall praised the country music standout for his contributions to the community, noting that he has known of Jelly Roll's giving nature long before he was famous.
"I met Jelly Roll over a year ago at the facility (where) he was once housed. Before CMA/Grammy awards and much of his success, (Jelly Roll) said he wanted to give back. Today, a truck loaded with toys showed up at the Last Minute Toy Store. You are changing music and lives. Thank you!"
This summer, Jelly Roll revealed that the initial idea for a toy drive actually came from his teenage daughter, Bailee Ann, who did a small toy drive with her aunt four or five years ago in White House, Tennessee. The toy drive was named "Buddy's Toy Drive" in honor of Jelly Roll's late father. CMT mentioned that the toy drive was given a larger platform when Jelly Roll's success in the music industry escalated.
"The mayor met me in a Walmart parking lot in Antioch, Tennessee. Dude, if you ever told me that the county commissioner … and the mayor would be coming to see me, I'd have been petrified. I'd have thought, 'God, what law did I break?' So, we've already raised a lot of toys."
The gracious artist shared that he's "just trying to be a man of service," and that he has big plans for the future of the toy drive.
In addition to donating 7,675 toys to underprivileged families, Jelly Roll also pledged $100,000 to continue efforts in making Buddy's Toy Drive the largest in Nashville history.