Who takes care
of the caretaker?
PROJECT 9to5 turns what people have to give into real relief for caretakers. Money, meals, rest, time away and practical help, for the people carrying the weight for someone else.
Everyone asks how the patient is doing.
Far fewer ask about the person doing the caring.
Caretakers are the people keeping someone else's life moving while trying to keep their own from falling apart.
They're family and chosen family, unpaid, caring for a parent, a partner, a child, a friend or someone else they love. Many do it for years. Almost no one asks how they're holding up.
The Care Gap
Sometimes the care outlasts the plan.
Many families prepare for aging, serious illness and end-of-life care. They save. They buy insurance. They make plans.
But care can last for years.
Savings can be depleted. Benefits may not cover everything. A caretaker may reduce work or stop working while household and care expenses continue.
Needing help does not always mean a family failed to prepare.
Sometimes the need simply lasted longer than the resources did.
59 Million
Americans provided unpaid care to an adult family member or friend in 2024.
49.5 Billion
Hours of unpaid care were provided.
$1.01 Trillion
Estimated economic value of that unpaid care.
Source: AARP, Valuing the Invaluable 2026 Update
How the U.S. compares.
United States
- Family and friends provide a large share of long-term care.
- Medicare generally does not cover long-term custodial care when that is the only care needed.
- Caregiver support can depend heavily on state programs, employer policies, Medicaid eligibility, private resources and local services.
- Families can face substantial out-of-pocket costs and lost income.
Other OECD countries
- Family and friends also provide substantial unpaid care.
- Many countries provide some combination of caregiver cash benefits, paid or protected caregiving leave, formal home-care services or other public support.
- The level of support varies widely by country.
- No system removes the burden of caregiving completely.
Sources: OECD, Health at a Glance 2025; Medicare.gov
The person receiving care is not the only person affected by illness.
Behind many people living with cancer, dementia, disability or serious illness is someone else rearranging work, driving to appointments, managing medications, making meals, paying bills, losing sleep and trying to hold a household together.
PROJECT 9to5 exists for that person.
Not a pamphlet.
A full tank of gas.
Practical help, not awareness. It starts with one question: what do you need right now?
Right now
The bill that can't wait.
Groceries.
Gas.
A ride.
A hotel near the hospital.
While you're caring
Meals.
Housekeeping.
A haircut.
A night off.
Someone to cover a shift.
When the crisis changes
Time to recover.
Getting back to work.
Rebuilding financially.
Support through grief.
We're starting in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. These are the things we're raising support to fund. When the help starts going out, we'll show you exactly where it goes.
The spark was Dolly.
When Dolly Parton spoke about caring for her husband, Carl, and realizing she had stopped taking care of herself, something clicked. I had already watched that story happen in my own family.
That was my mother.
She was the caretaker in our family. She cared for my grandmother. She cared for my aunt through cancer. She cared for my father. And whenever someone around her needed help, she was usually the first one there.
Then she got sick. Around the same time, so did Tommy's mother. They passed one week apart.
Our mothers spent so much of their lives taking care of other people. That's what caretakers do. They become the driver, scheduler, advocate, cook, nurse, bookkeeper and steady hand. Everyone asks about the person who is sick. Far fewer people ask what the caretaker needs.
And then there was another thought:
WWDD? What would Dolly do?
Probably something useful.
Not another awareness campaign. Not another reminder to practice self-care. Something that actually takes a little weight off.
A meal. A paid bill. A clean house. A ride. A night of real rest. A few hours when someone else takes over.
That became the idea behind PROJECT 9to5: turn generosity into practical relief for unpaid caretakers, and make sure the person doing the caring is cared for, too.
Angie Whitten
Founder, PROJECT 9to5
How it happens
Relief can come from anywhere.
PROJECT 9to5 brings together people, businesses, artists and organizations with something to give, and turns it into support for caretakers.
We don't need everyone to give money. We need people to give what they actually have.
Music
Benefit shows, songwriter rounds, artists and venues. Often the first place you'll see us.
Hospitality
Hotels, resorts and restaurants. A room, a meal, a place to rest.
Services
Salons, barbers, cleaners, lawn care, massage therapists. Services donated straight to caretakers.
Experiences
Event tickets, classes, a night out. Something that's just for them.
Business + Brands
Sponsorship, services, products and in-kind support.
People
Money, time, skills or a good introduction. You don't need a company to help.
What can you bring?
A stage. A hotel room. Dinner. A haircut. A clean house. A mowed lawn. A ride. Tickets. A check. An idea we haven't thought of yet.
If you can give a caretaker money, time, rest or relief, we want to hear from you.
Offer somethingWhere you come in.
Give something useful
Gift cards, meals, hotel nights, rides, household help, tickets or other useful donations.
Tell us what you haveGive your service
Salons, barbers, cleaners, lawn crews and other professionals can donate services directly to caretakers.
Offer a serviceMusic
For artists + musicians
Tommy Sims is a multi-Grammy-winning songwriter, producer and musician whose decades in the music industry help PROJECT 9to5 build relationships with artists, venues and creative partners. If you'd be open to hearing about future benefits, songwriter rounds or special projects, add your name.
I'm open to the callBe part of what comes next.
Updates on PROJECT 9to5, the first relief we fund, future events and ways to help.