Taylor Helps U.K. Food Banks Serve Thousands of Meals

For weeks Taylor had been donation to food banks at various Eras Tour stops in the U.K.. Rachel Biggs, the CEO of Cardiff Foodbank, told The Guardian in an interview published on Tuesday, June 25 that Taylor was behind the largest donation from an individual the organization has ever seen. Cardiff, the capital of Wales, was the only city with just one Eras Tour concert during the 152-date European leg. The exact mount of money spent was not mentioned, but according to Biggs, Taylor’s contribution helped to feed “1,200 people three meals a day, for three days – or 10,800 meals.”

“The breathing space Taylor’s donation has given us will enable us to lift our heads and shift our focus from the food bank to the creation of a sustainable operation supporting people who currently need our help with support to address the root cause of poverty and financial support to set them on the path to not needing our aid any more,” Biggs told The Guardian.

The Guardian also spoke with Rich Jones, the CEO of Liverpool’s St. Andrew’s Community Network, which oversees 11 food banks. He called Taylor’s contribution “the most incredible gift.”

“Because of rising prices, rising need and falling donations, we’ve been having to subsidize our food ourselves for a long while,” Jones said. “But it’s fair to say that Taylor Swift has essentially paid our food bill for 12 months – and that gives us the breathing space to focus on fundraising efforts going forward.”

Several other donations had been made by Taylor. On June 11, the Daily Mail reported that Taylor donated to local food banks in Edinburgh during her time in Scotland’s capital city.