Dolly Parton has announced she will be donating over $1 million to support those affected by Hurricane Helene.
“This is my home,” Parton said at a Walmart in Newport, Tennessee on Friday, according to CNN. “This is a time for me to step up again, for all of us to step up and do what we can.”
The singer-songwriter shared the news at an event geared towards funding relief efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Parton noted she is trying to do her part to combat the significant destruction and displacement caused by the hurricane.
At this same event, Walmart US president and CEO John Furner announced that the company, as well as Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation, would donate $10 million to hurricane relief efforts across affected states.
A number of Parton’s companies, including Dollywood Parks & Resorts, The Dollywood Foundation, Dolly Parton’s Stampede and Pirates Voyage, are set to partner with Walmart in providing flood relief for the Appalachian region.
Parton has allocated $1 million to the Mountain Ways Foundation, a charity focused on providing immediate assistance to flood victims of Hurricane Helene. Furthermore, Parton’s East Tennessee-based businesses are working collectively with The Dollywood Foundation to match her contribution to Mountain Ways through an additional $1 million donation.
“Who knew, in our little part of the country here – where I was born and raised, just right down the road – that we would have this kind of devastation?” Parton said. “When I look around, I think, ‘These are my mountains, these are my valleys, these are my rivers… these are my people, and this is my home.’”
The country music icon went on to express how connected she feels to the victims of Hurricane Helene, citing many of her own relatives who live in the area.
“It was devastating, not just because it was my family, because all these people feel like my people,” Parton said. “We all feel related, and we are in some sort of way. So it just devastated me just to know that we had to suffer like that.”
Watch the full video below of Parton’s message below: