Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation Raises More Than $75,000 for Tennessee Shelters After Tornadoes
Miranda Lambert is once again stepping up in a big way for animals who need homes, and she's getting her fans to participate, too.
Lambert started a fundraiser after the deadly tornadoes that swept through the Nashville area and Middle Tennessee in early March, killing at least 24 people. Her MuttNation Foundation joined with Tractor Supply Co. and Generous, a Nashville-based online giving platform, to match donations from nearly 1,000 people, eventually surpassing the original goal of $75,000.
“We knew people needed to come first, but MuttNation is here because we have to watch over the animals, too,” Lambert says in a press release. “My heart is filled with both sadness for everyone who suffered — and with gratitude for everyone who has stepped up."
MuttNation has allocated one hundred percent of the funds it received via the donations to Agape Animal Rescue, Crossroads Campus, Friends of MACC, Nashville Humane Association, the Pet Community Center, Putnam County Humane, the Putnam Disaster Animal Relief Team (DART) and the Wilson County DART. All of those shelters and organizations were either damaged by the tornadoes or in need of assistance afterward.
Lambert has also encouraged people to "shelter in place with a shelter pet" during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. She's spoken of her admiration for the frontline workers and volunteers who are keeping things going during the worldwide crisis, saying, "These are my heroes."
Shelters in Nashville and across the country have reported record numbers of fosters and adoptions since the pandemic began, and though Lambert takes no credit for that, she "revels in the knowledge that so many people have opened their homes and their hearts during such a challenging time and is hopeful that all the fosters will also find their forever homes."
Lambert has been keeping busy during her time in quarantine, performing her latest single, "Bluebird," during the ACM Presents: Our Country special on April 5, and again on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 8, where she dedicated its hopeful message to "first responders and health care workers and grocery store people that are keeping us safe and fed."
"We're praying for you all," Lambert said, "and we're so thankful for you, and you're all heroes."
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