Tracy Lawrence and team snatch success from the jaws of disaster as broken refrigerated truck ruins 650 turkeys ahead of turkey fry
Music community answers the call, provides 50,000+ meals; Concert raises $355k
In a storyline worthy of a Hallmark Christmas movie, country music icon and philanthropist Tracy Lawrence gathered his crew of volunteers as dawn broke over the Nashville Fairgrounds to start his 20th anniversary Mission:Possible Turkey Fry. The yearly event provides much-needed turkey dinners for thousands of Middle Tennessee’s hungriest, but it was quickly discovered that the refrigeration had failed in one of the trucks and at least 650 turkeys of the total allotment were spoiled and would have to be discarded.
- Photo (L to R): Chris Cagle, Gretchen Wilson, Tracy Lawrence, Glenn Cranfield (Nashville Rescue Mission), Eric Paslay and Halfway to Hazard. Photo Credit: Logan Vollmers
Losing that many turkeys would severely limit the number of hungry people that could be served. But Tracy Lawrence wasn’t going to let a potential disaster like that disrupt such an important and much needed service with the goal of feeding 36,000 people.
He immediately took to social media, contacted news outlets and reached out to friends and colleagues in the music industry. He needed their help to quickly replace the 650 ruined turkeys, a tall order at such short notice.
But like a heartwarming Hallmark movie, the community answered Lawrence’s call and stepped up to the plate. His request for 650 replacement turkeys was fully met and then some: more than 2,400 turkeys were donated – almost four times the ‘lost’ amount – making the new total 5,350 cooked and frozen distributed turkeys. Those added donations now brought the total to a remarkable 50,000+ meals provided for those in need. You can watch a brief recap video of the turkey fry at YouTube here.
“I cannot imagine a better 20th anniversary for the Mission:Possible Turkey Fry and Concert,” said Lawrence. “What started as a day of uncertainty turned into a day of our community coming together in a way I couldn't have imagined. I was blown away once again by the kindness of our neighbors.”
Many artists and celebrities came out to support the turkey fry, with appearances from notable names like Jamey Johnson, Tucker Wetmore, Charles Esten, Dustin Lynch, Meghan Patrick, John Crist, Rodney Atkins, Clint Black, Rhett Akins, Frank Ray and more. Wetmore surprised Lawrence with a drop off of over 100 turkeys, while Patrick also donated and took to social media to encourage her community to support and donate. Additional turkeys were donated from artists like Steve Warner, Atkins, Black, Akins, Esten and more. Monetary donations can still be made to Mission:Possible here.
The community support continued into the night as fans gathered at Luke Combs' Category 10 for the benefit concert, with performances by Lawrence, Gretchen Wilson, Chris Cagle, Eric Paslay and Halfway to Hazard. The event saw a record-breaking amount of money raised for Mission:Possible, totaling $355,000 from ticket sales, silent auction items, significant artist donations and more, with a check presented to Nashville Rescue Mission for $250,000.
New this year, the show hosted a canned food drive on behalf of Second Harvest Food Bank to help support families and individuals facing food insecurity, with one participant taking home a signed guitar from the food drive raffle.
- Since its inception, Lawrence's Mission:Possible has fried over 15,000 turkeys, provided more than 135,000 meals to the homeless across Middle Tennessee, donated over $1.3M to Nashville Rescue Mission and raised over $2.5M which helps to further its goals, advocate for those in need and expand their ability to support aligned causes.
For more information visit www.tlmissionpossible.com and keep up with Lawrence on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
About Preshias Harris
JournalistPreshias Harris is a music journalist who has interviewed everyone from Alabama to ZZ Top for articles and stories published in numerous music magazines. She is the author of longest-running monthly country music column in America and authored The College of Songology™ 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s ‘Need To Know’ Reference Handbook. As a music career development consultant with special emphasis on emerging and aspiring artists and songwriters, she focuses on ‘chasing the dream’ while understanding the realities of the music industry. She maintains a writers’ room on Music Row – named The Sangtuary – for her clients and their co-writers. She is a member of ASCAP (as a publisher), BMI, The Country Music Association (CMA), The Recording Academy, The National Association of Talent Directors (NATD) and a life member of Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).
You can find out more about Preshias at https://www.collegeofsongology.com and find her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
