CMT Partners with Feed the Front Line for Meal Delivery to Local Healthcare Workers
Written by broebling on May 6, 2020
CMT is sharing the efforts to support local restaurants and healthcare heroes in the Nashville community.
On Friday (May 1), CMT partnered with Maggie McGraw (the daughter of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill), Feed the Front Line (FTFL), and Berry Farms’ Coffee and Coconuts to donate meals to local healthcare workers at TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville.
This was CMT’s second partner delivery with FTFL and Coffee and Coconuts, totaling a combined 175 donated meals. Located in Franklin, Tennessee, the coffee shop is run by music industry veteran Missi Gallimore and is a neighborhood staple for craft coffee, healthy food and support for Nashville’s local music community.
Spearheaded by Vanderbilt students and local 20-somethings, FTFL has raised $50K in donations, delivered 1,500+ meals and has activated 13 local restaurant partners in the few weeks since its launch.
The Nashville chapter of the Texas-based organization Feed The Front Line started in early April 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 crisis. Donations made to the organization provide meal deliveries straight to the front-line, offering much-needed support to both local Nashville restaurants, while feeding healthcare workers risking their lives to fight the virus.
CMT.com caught up with Maggie McGraw about this important initiative.
CMT.com: How did you personally become involved with the organization Feed the Frontline? And why did it grab your attention?
I became involved with Feed the Front Line through one of my best friends at Stanford, Margaret Murray, who is working for the Texas initiative. There are so many organizations around the country who are doing amazing things for their communities during this time of crisis but Feed the Front Line grabbed my attention because of its two-pronged approach: keeping local restaurants in business while also feeding our frontline healthcare workers that are working tirelessly to make sure we all stay safe.
Every time I brag about Nashville to my friends, which is often, I always talk about how amazing the food is, so working with an organization that benefits those amazing restaurants and their employees is a blessing.
Because your parents are both prominent in country music, you are already familiar with the importance of giving back. Do you remember any advice or lessons from your parents about generosity, or serving those in need, that you were given while growing up?
When it comes to getting involved with impactful work, my parents definitely lead by example. I remember being taught from a young age that there needs to be good in everything we do, and that still applies during a time like this when everything seems to be flipped upside down.
This event also helps out the local restaurants, some of which have had to rely on takeout orders to get by. Nashville’s restaurant community is so diverse. Have you found a common thread that ties them together?
Nashville’s restaurant community is definitely very diverse; that’s what makes Nashville, Nashville. All of the restaurants we are working with were eager to get involved with the cause and eager to fulfill more orders because they know they are participating in something impactful in so many ways, and I think that’s the common thread.
For those frontline workers reading this interview, what would you like them to know?
The Nashville community is standing behind you during this difficult and unprecedented time. It takes courage and dedication to show up every day and fight for the safety of everyone while risking your own safety. Everyone in the Nashville community is so, so thankful for you.
