3 Philanthropic Ways Morgan Wallen Is Giving Back to the People of East Tennessee

Morgan Wallen‘s new song “Love Somebody” is available this Friday, but he’s been putting the title into action for several weeks.

Just before Hurricane Helene devastated the Gulf Coast and parts of the Southeast at the end of September, killing 243 people and destroying communities across multiple states, Wallen headlined two nights at Knoxville, Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium. Over one weekend, he played for 156,161 fans near his hometown. Wallen‘s Sneedville is about 90 minutes Northeast of Knoxville.

His record-breaking Neyland Stadium show and Hurricane Helene have meant that Wallen has spent more time in East Tennessee in the last month. Here are three ways he’s giving back.

1. The Morgan Wallen Foundation (MWF) Donated $140,000 to Gibbs Youth Sports

About one week before Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida and moved north through Florida, Tennessee, and North Carolina, Wallen’s mom, Lesli Wallen, and Morgan Wallen Foundation director Kathleen Flaherty donated $140,000 to Gibbs Youth Sports during a press conference at Neyland Stadium.

“Being a baseball mom, this is very special to me that my son is able to give back to the community that blessed us so much and that he played sports in,” Lesli Wallen said.

She explained that (GYS) President Nate Stachey applied to the Morgan Wallen Foundation for help.

“That’s all he asked for,” she said. “I walk up there sometimes at the Gibbs Youth Sports Ruritan Park, and I see how in disrepair the park is. So, we started conversations asking what we can do to make this park a better park – and a special place – for our kids to be proud to go to.”

Ruritan Park serves students from Gibbs High School, where Wallen attended, and surrounding areas in Knox County. The foundation’s donation allows Gibbs Youth Sports to rebuild the inside of the fieldhouse to have the first indoor batting cages and machines, pitching lanes and a fielding area in Gibbs/Corryton.

2. Morgan Wallen donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross

On Sept. 30, following Hurricane Helene, Wallen gave $500,000 from the Morgan Wallen Foundation to the American Red Cross to help East Tennessee.

“My family in East Tennessee are safe, but I know many are absolutely devastated there and in multiple states,” he said. “All my prayers are geared towards those tonight.”

Following Wallen’s donation, the Red Cross said: “We can’t thank Morgan Wallen enough for his heart and generous $500,000 donation to impact help on the ground now in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene, including his beloved East Tennessee.”

3. Morgan Wallen Leads a Day of Help for His Home Region Following Helene

Wallen and his foundation teamed with Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee and filled six trucks with nearly 150,000 pounds of food for victims of Hurricane Helene.

Wallen was in Knoxville for the food drive and toured areas decimated by Helene.

At Second Harvest locations in Middle Tennessee, members of the Neal Agency, Wallen’s booking agency, and Sticks Management, his management company, joined with volunteers to pack 1,092 disaster relief kits, each filled with enough food for six meals. That totals 16,380 pounds of food deployed from Middle Tennessee to Helene-affected areas.

In addition, the MWF Virtual Food Drive has garnered contributions of over 100,000 meals.

Wallen printed limited-edition “HELP” T-shirts, inspired by his chart-topping collaboration with Post Malone, “I Had Some Help.” Wallen’s proceeds will go to the Morgan Wallen Foundation to support Second Harvest of East Tennessee and MANNA FoodBank of Western North Carolina.

(Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for Morgan Wallen’s One Night At A Time 2024)