Dolly Parton will give $1,000 a month to families made homeless by Tennessee wildfires

Legendary country music star Dolly Parton said that she will donate $1,000 a month to individual families left homeless by the Tennessee wildfires.

Parton posted a statement to her website saying that the newly established charity My People Fund would work in tandem with her foundation and business interests to keep the families afloat.

“I have always believed that charity begins at home,” her statement said. “And that’s why I’ve asked my Dollywood Companies — including the Dollywood Theme Park; the DreamMore Resort; my dinner theater attractions including Dixie Stampede and Lumberjack Adventure; plus my Dollywood Foundation to help me establish a ‘My People Fund.’”

“We want to provide a hand up to all those families that have lost everything in the fires,” she continued. “And to recover, we want to make sure that the Dollywood Foundation provides $1,000 a month to all of those families that have lost their homes in the fires until they get back up on their feet. I know it has been a trying time for my people, and this assistance will help.”

Help those who lost their homes in the Tennessee wildfires. Donate to the My People Fund by visiting https://t.co/Uydp1gDCwJ . #mypeoplefund pic.twitter.com/xyvXoCeIE1

— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) December 1, 2016

Parton who is 70, is performing in Texas this week as part of her biggest North American tour in 25 years, according to the New York Times, “with dates in more than 60 cities. In the next year she will release two albums, and she has a TV series that will trace her childhood, from Pigeon Forge, Tenn., to Nashville.”

Ms. Parton is a native of Sevier County, Tenn., where Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge are. Deadly wildfires have ripped through the region’s foothills this week, forcing thousands to flee as emergency responders sought to contain the blaze, which has been fueled by high winds and a drought. Rain has helped to curb some of the fires, but the state’s emergency management officials said on Thursday there were still some smoldering patches.

According to a statement from the Tennessee Department of Health, 7 people were killed and up to 45 were injured.

Featured image via YouTube