Nashville recording artist Kaitlyn Baker will help raise money to cover the cost of school lunches in her hometown, when she performs at J.W. Adams Combined School in Pound, Virginia, today, March 27. Proceeds from the show will benefit the school's Lunchbox Project, which provides nutritious food for students in need.
"We are thrilled to have Kaitlyn performing for such a great cause," said Principal Rick Bolling. "The Lunchbox Project is important, because there is a lot of economic hardship in our area. About 65 percent of our students are on free or reduced lunch." Much of Southwestern Virginia has experienced high unemployment in recent years, due to the closing of many coal mines and reduced production because of changes in government regulations and an increase in natural gas production. The effect of the economic decline inspired one of Baker's songs, "Coal Train," which is included in the Official 2015 Academy of Country Music (ACM) ZinePak. The 2-CD set features tracks by ACM Award nominees including Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tay and others, in addition to 15 emerging artists. Baker will sign copies of the ZinePak at the Walmart SuperCenter in nearby Norton, Virginia, on Saturday, March 28, from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Baker's "Coal Train" video can be seen here .Videos