Jelly Roll is currently hosting a toy drive in Nashville, and the singer revealed in a new episode of Theo Von’s podcast, This Past Weekend, that the idea came from his teenage daughter, Bailee Ann.
How Jelly Roll’s Daughter Bailee Ann Inspired Him To Host A Toy Drive
“My daughter wanted to do this,” Jelly Roll explained. “She was doing this at nine years old.” Becoming emotional, Jelly Roll continued, “I look back at it, and when I got out of jail… I came home [in] December 2009. I didn’t have any money for toys. And the halfway house, the Men of Valor, did a toy drive for the guys that just came home.”
The musician recalled dropping off a truck “of toys I couldn’t afford” for his daughter’s Christmas. “I didn’t even get to meet her at that time,” he added. “By court, I wasn’t even allowed to see her. I had just gotten home.”
“So her heart, to want to do this toy drive, and then me to be able to be in a situation to amplify it is like, it’s really cool,” he said, joking, “I said I wasn’t going to cry today!”
Hosting The Biggest Toy Drive In Nashville History
Jelly Roll’s toy drive began on November 1 at eight Walmart locations in Middle Tennessee and will continue through December 15.
Fans can participate by purchasing a new toy at one of the Walmart locations and donating it, or donating an unwrapped and unopened toy. On October 20, Jelly Roll performed at the Walmart grand re-opening in Franklin, Tennessee, where the campaign collected a kick-off donation of $25,000 worth of toys in partnership with Coca-Cola and Hasbro. Coca-Cola and Hasbro have since pledged to donate an additional $25,00, and Jelly Roll told Von that he will put “a couple hundred grand up myself” and the campaign plans to donate over 100,000 toys.
On November 4, The Tennessee native performed a concert in the parking lot of the Antioch, Tennessee Walmart, making admission free for fans who purchased a toy to donate. “I grew up right about three minutes from here in a little area called Percy Priest Lake right here over the way,” he told fans during his performance.
Opened Up About The Toy Drive On Theo Von’s Podcast
Another partnership surrounding the toy drive was with the Nashville Predators Foundation, empowered by SmileDirectClub. The foundation collected toys during the NHL team’s game on December 2 alongside the Predators Foundation’s annual holiday charity toy drive.
On Monday (Dec. 4), Von posted the podcast clip of the two talking about the toy drive on Instagram, writing, “No one makes me feel as much as this man does. I’m sure I’m not the only one.” He also gave a birthday shoutout to Jelly Roll, who turned 39 on December 4. “Happy Birthday, Jelly Roll!” Von shared. “We are grateful you exist. Toy Drive info is on his website, jellyroll615.com. Episode with @jellyroll615 and @ernest drops tmrw. Love y’all. Amen.”
Recently Celebrated His Birthday And A Monumental Year
Jelly Roll’s birthday capped off a monumental year for the star, who won the CMA Award for Best New Artist, was nominated for two Grammy Awards and just notched his third No. 1 at country radio, all within the past month. The “Save Me” singer was surprised by his family with a celebration at midnight on Sunday, and Jelly Roll documented the special evening with a slideshow on Instagram beginning with a photo of the singer smiling with one of his dogs.
“I couldn’t ask for a better birthday,” he wrote. “I’m surrounded by family that loves me. I write songs and sing them for a living and right now I celebrate having the number 1 song on Country Radio with my sister Lainey Wilson. God is incredible – thanks for all the love. My wife was waiting for me with my daughter, niece, nephew in law and of course all the dogs when I got home at midnight last night to sing me happy birthday – WHAT A YEAR!”
For more information on Jelly Roll’s massive toy drive, visit his official website HERE.
