Dolly Parton has spearheaded a massive donation to Hurricane Helene relief efforts, teaming up with Walmart to donate more than $5 million dollars to various charity organizations.
The country singer herself is personally donating $1 million, while her various business ventures, including Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Dolly Parton’s Stampede and Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show, as well as the Dollywood Foundation have pledged an additional $1 million. The money will go to the Mountain Ways Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing immediate assistance to Hurricane Helene flood victims.
Meanwhile, Walmart, which previously committed $6 million to hurricane relief efforts, announced it would be contributing an additional $4 million.
Parton announced her donation during at a press conference held at a Walmart in Newport, Tennessee on Thursday (via Knoxville News Sentinel). The singer grew up in nearby Pittman Center, Tennessee, and she spoke about her emotional connection to the area.
“I am totally with you because I am part of you,” Parton said. “These are special people here; they’re my people. I feel like all people are my people, but everyone here grew up in the mountains just like I did, so of course, I have a close connection to them,” Parton said at the event. “I can’t stand to see anyone hurting, so I wanted to do what I could to help after these terrible floods. I hope we can all be a little light in the world for our friends, our neighbors — even strangers — during this dark time they are experiencing.”
“One of the things we love most about Dolly as a partner is her incredible heart and care for her community,” added John Furner, president and CEO, Walmart U.S. “She reminds me of our associates who are always the first to jump to action when our communities need us. This time is no different, and we will continue to provide support until they have recovered.”
Beyond the financial assistance, Parton’s Dollywood has donated a semi-truck full of water, 60,000 reusable masks, 30,000 disposable protective garments, and 2.5 million disposable masks for cleanup efforts across East Tennessee. The theme park has also become a drop-off location for people who wish to donate cleanup supplies, clothes, personal hygiene items, and other personal necessities.
Parton has made many generous donations to charity over the years. In 2020, her $1 million donation to COVID-19 research helped fund Moderna’s vaccine and she donated more than $12 million to Tennessee wildfire recovery efforts in 2016.
She is also just the latest artist to help out with hurricane relief efforts. Sturgill Simpson has announced a benefit show for the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, while Eric Church has released the charity single “Darkest Hour” and Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation has donated $100,000 to animals impacted by Hurricane Helene.