Taylor Swift has donated $5 million to Feeding America for victims affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene, the organization announced on Wednesday.
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, Feeding America CEO, released a statement on the organization’s Instagram that they’re “incredibly grateful” for the singer’s donation,
“This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water, and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms,” the statement reads. “Together, we can make a real impact in supporting families as they navigate the challenges ahead.”
Babineaux-Fontenot concluded the statement by thanking Swift for “standing with us in the movement to end hunger and for helping communities in need.”
Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday night, producing winds of 120 mph and heavy rainfall across the central to northern Florida Peninsula. It weakened as it moved across Florida before passing to sea at 5 a.m. ET as a Category 1 storm. According to the National Hurricane Center, the rainfall “continues to bring the risk of considerable flash and urban flooding along with moderate to major river flooding, especially in areas where coastal and inland flooding combine to increase the overall flood threat.”
On Sept. 26, Helene, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall in the Florida Big Bend and continued carving destruction across Georgia, northwest South Carolina, western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and Kentucky. It caused catastrophic flash flooding and hurricane-force winds in the area.
Earlier in the week, country music legend Dolly Parton also donated to hurricane relief efforts in East Tennessee and across the Appalachian region.
Parton donated $1 million to the Mountain Ways Foundation to provide assistance to flood victims, the nonprofit organization announced in a statement.
In addition to her personal donation, Parton’s businesses—Dollywood Parks and Resorts, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show, and The Dollywood Foundation—have pledged to combine efforts and match her donation of $1 million to the Mountain Ways Foundation.
“There are a lot of people hurting right now, and I can’t stand to see people hurting. and these are special people; they’re my people,” Parton said in the statement. “Everyone here grew up in the mountains just like I did, and I’m just heartbroken by what I’ve seen.”
“We are so grateful to Dolly and her team as she once again leads the way in helping our region repair and rebuild from such a terrible tragedy,” said Joe and Jessi Baker, the co-founders of Mountain Ways Foundation. “Being from East Tennessee, Dolly has been a hero to us our whole lives. Working with her and her team in helping our neighbors is the honor of a lifetime.”