Tracy Lawrence will host his 15th annual Mission: Possible Turkey Fry on Tuesday, November 24, along with a virtual benefit concert, with proceeds benefiting the Nashville Rescue Mission. The singer never considered canceling the event, which has so far raised almost a million dollars for the worthwhile cause, but he admits this year has been a challenge for him, in every way.
“My family and I have found strength in God,” Tracy told Everything Nash. “I know that a lot of people say that’s a cliché, but we have leaned on Him. We’ve leaned on our friends. You can say that that things are different now than they’ve been over the last 30, 40, 50, 60, a hundred years. That’s the thing about life that I’ve learned, is that none of us can do this alone. It takes friends. It takes relationships, because there’s always going to be a time when you’re going to need to lean on somebody, when you’re not strong enough, or in a situation where you can’t take care of yourself.
“It takes a network of people,” he continued. “That falls right back in line with what the [Nashville Rescue Mission] is trying to do. I’m blessed that I’ve got a support network of great people, and great faith and ministry people. My children are the same way. We’ve learned to lean on each other through all this stuff. It takes relationship. You have to be able to lean on other people.”
The 52-year-old has a very personal reason for wanting to continue to support the Nashville Rescue Mission, even though it would have been much easier to cancel the event for 2020.
“I have some personal experiences with family members that were homeless, and they still struggle with it,” Tracy told Everything Nash. “I don’t understand it, to tell you the truth — there’s a lot about homelessness that I don’t understand — but I’ve had to learn through personal experiences to put my own prejudices aside, and just do what I feel like God’s calling me to. And sometimes it’s really difficult because you just want to take them and shake the crap out of them, but that didn’t work either. We’ve tried tough love. We’ve kicked them out of the house. We’ve sent them back to Texas. We’ve done everything we could possibly do. They’ve been in every rehab program, and until they make their mind up that they’re tired of living the way that they’re living, there’s not a whole lot you can do.
“All you can do is try to put warm food in their belly and a roof over their head. Give them a place to sleep when it’s cold outside, and give them the basic necessities of life,” he added. “I don’t understand how somebody can mentally just lay down and give up on life, but there are a lot of people that choose to live that way. And God just told me not to judge them.”
The virtual concert, which is free, will include performances by Tim McGraw, Chris Young, Cole Swindell, Mitchell Tenpenny, John Rich and David Tolliver. The show will be available to stream via Talk Shop Live, An online auction is also currently taking place, which will run through December 2. Find more information by visiting TurkeyFry.org.