Tracy Lawrence Donates $250,000+ to Nashville Rescue Mission At 18th Annual Mission:Possible Turkey Fry and Concert

The 18th annual Mission:Possible Turkey Fry and Benefit Concert was a success!

By

Nicole Palsa

| Posted on

November 22, 2023

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5:03 pm

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Tracy Lawrence; Photo by Annie Loughead

Reigning CRS Artist Humanitarian of the Year, Tracy Lawrence exuded the giving spirit of the holiday season during his 18th annual Mission:Possible Turkey Fry and Concert, which was founded to raise support and awareness of the homeless population in Middle Tennessee and beyond.

Held on Tuesday, Nov. 21, the philanthropic event began during the early morning hours at the Nashville Fairgrounds, where over 250 volunteers helped fry over 1,200 turkeys. Those turkeys, along with donated side dishes, will provide over 10,000 meals to be distributed to families in need throughout Middle Tennessee. The Turkey Fry featured star-studded volunteers for the massive undertaking, including Gary Allan, Chris Young, Jamey Johnson, Ian Munsick, Travis Denning, Phil Vassar, Spencer Crandall, Frank Ray, David Lee Murphy, Trey Lewis, Kasey Tyndall, Noah Thompson, as well as the evening’s performers.

Lawrence was joined by Lee Brice, Priscilla Block and Halfway to Hazard for the benefit concert after the Turkey Fry, held at Wildhorse Saloon. To kick off the show, Lawrence presented a check for $250,000 to Mission:Possible’s long-time partner, Nashville Rescue Mission. The non-profit organization is committed to helping people experiencing homelessness by providing programs and services that focus on a person’s entire life—physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social.

In an acoustic writer’s round setup, each artist took turns performing their songs and sharing the stories behind them. Appropriately, Lawrence started the concert with his No. 1 hit “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” a story about discovering who’s in your corner when times get tough. Throughout the night, he also performed his hits “Lessons Learned,” “Time Marches On,” “Paint Me a Birmingham,” and a cover of George Strait’s “Troubadour.”

Firecracker Priscilla Block stood out in the boys’ club, sharing her relatable experiences and pure country vocals. The youngest of the evening’s performers sang her debut single “My Bar,” along with “Thick Thighs,” “Me Pt. 2,” and “Just About Over You.” She also shared the story of when she met Brice for the first time, nearly seven years ago. “I’ve always been a huge fan of him,” she told the crowd. “I still have a selfie with him. I was like, maybe 18. Trust me, I was in the bars. Let’s just say I might’ve been my older sister at the time, but I was there. Any way that I could meet people in Nashville.” 

Tracy Lawrence Benefit Concert Photo Credit Annie Loughead
Tracy Lawrence Benefit Concert Photo By Annie Loughead

Lawrence asked Block about her show-stopping CMA Awards red carpet moment, where she arrived in a dump truck. “I wasn’t nominated, so I wanted to give people a reason to talk,” Block explained. “So I was like, I’m going to show up to this carpet and I’m going to get people talking. And I think it worked on both.”

As host for the evening, Lawrence took the opportunity to get to know his guests better and asked them who would be on their “country music Mount Rushmore.” Earlier this year, Lawrence got a tattoo on his forearm with George Strait, George Jones, Keith Whitley, and Merle Haggard. CMA and ACM Award winner Lee Brice shared that his Mount Rushmore of country music would be Willie Nelson, Don Williams, Garth Brooks and Tracy Lawrence, earning a chuckle from the crowd.

Brice performed his hits “Hard to Love,” “Rumor,” and “Boy,” which he dedicated to his son Takoda who was in the audience. He closed out his set with a rowdy rendition of his history-making No. 1 hit “One of Them Girls,” which was named Song of the Year in 2021 by ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, the first time the same song has earned the accolade from all three performing rights organizations.  

Lawrence also took a moment to share his appreciation for his wife Becca’s efforts behind the scenes, coordinating the distribution of meals and creating relationships with various organizations across Middle Tennessee for Mission:Possible. 

Priscilla Block spoke with Becca Lawrence before the show, who shared why the annual event is important to the Lawrence family. “We wanted to show our kids what giving back looks like,” Becca explained to Priscilla. 

“It is really awesome that they continue to do this every year,” Block told the audience, “Because I know that he’s so busy and they’re so busy and they could be doing a million other things on Thanksgiving week. But we’re here tonight and I just want to say thank y’all.”

The annual event has now provided more than 86,000 meals to Middle Tennessee’s homeless community and raised over $1M for Nashville Rescue Mission. Past performers at the benefit concert have included Tim McGraw, Luke Combs, Chris Young, Lainey Wilson, Justin Moore, Cole Swindell and more. In addition to the successful Turkey Fry and Benefit Concert series, Mission:Possible launched an annual Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament in 2020. The springtime fundraiser has raised more than $1.1M towards various Middle Tennessee homeless charities in only three years. Past attendees of the springtime staple event include: Kid Rock, Charles Kelley, Jake Owen, Jordan Davis, HARDY, Deana Carter, Mitchell Tenpenny, ERNEST, Jamey Johnson, Colt Ford, John Daly, Brett Hull and Rex Ryan.

To learn more about Tracy Lawrence’s Mission:Possible, click HERE.

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Nicole Palsa

Written by

Nicole Palsa

Nicole Palsa is a freelance writer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 2012, she has written about the newcomers, superstars, and legends of country music for publications including Music Mayhem, Country Now, and Country Music Tattle Tale. Palsa has served as a volunteer guide with Musicians On Call since 2016 and is a Troubadour member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications and her Bachelor of Arts degree in French. In addition to being a devoted country music fan, Nicole is a family historian and genealogist who can often be found in stacks of research. She is also an avid traveler with a passion for wildlife and nature photography.