Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” is predicted to earn a record-breaking $1 billion, and the singer-songwriter has already been sharing the wealth.
Aside from her headline-making move to give $100,000 bonuses to her tour truck drivers, Swift has been quietly donating to local food banks and hunger relief organizations in the areas she visits on her tour.
Swift’s donations have made possible additional resources for these organizations but also drawn widespread attention to the issue of food insecurity in the U.S.
TODAY.com spoke with several of Swift’s beneficiaries across the country — who declined to share the size of her gifts — about the impact of her charitability.
A call from out of the blue
For many hunger relief organizations, getting a call from Swift’s people was a shock.
“We thought, ‘Are we getting punked?’” says Michelle Beck, chief development officer of Three Square Food Bank in Southern Nevada.
Swift’s team contacted Three Square Food Bank when the singer was in Las Vegas for her second “Eras Tour” performance.
“They said they wanted to make a gift to help the areas that they were performing in,” Beck tells TODAY.com. “For us, that was a pretty amazing day.”
News of Swift’s donation quickly made the rounds.
“Pretty soon news media picked it up,” Beck recalls, “And they were calling us. And then, we were in national news — a little food bank in Las Vegas, Nevada, getting some national coverage.”
According to Beck, one in eight Southern Nevada residents are experiencing food insecurity. She hopes that the media attention around Swift’s gift will raise awareness about food insecurity.
“Everybody should have dignified access to food,” she says. “If you’re in a position to help in any way, take some action.”
Food insecurity has increased since the pandemic
Swift’s donations have provided crucial relief for food banks struggling with the aftermath of the pandemic.
Mark Coleman, a spokesperson for Seattle hunger relief organization Food Lifeline, says that the rates of food insecurity have outpaced donations to food banks.
“Donation streams have gone down post-pandemic and we’re having to purchase more food,” he tells TODAY.com.
According to Coleman, 1.1 million people in Western Washington are currently experiencing food insecurity.
“I don’t think most people understand how many people face food insecurity,” he says. “Right now, one in five children are growing up in food insecure homes. That’s 20%. That just shouldn’t happen.”
Swift donated to Food Lifeline during her Seattle “Eras Tour” performance in July. With Swift’s contribution, Food Lifeline says it will be able to provide “hundreds of thousands of pounds” of fresh produce to families in Western Washington.
“Cash donations like Taylor’s are really critical right now,” Coleman says.
Shobana Gubbi, chief philanthropy officer of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley in San Jose, California — another organization Swift donated to — says her organization has also felt the post-pandemic pinch.
“Everything costs more than it did three years ago and donations are not at the same level as they were, but the need is at the same level as it was at the peak of the pandemic,” she tells TODAY.com. “So all of the food banks are feeling the squeeze. And the clients that we serve are not getting a lot of the government supports that they were during the pandemic.”
In March, the pandemic-era aid program that boosted SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits ended, leaving many who rely on food stamps scrambling for their next meal.
Meanwhile, according to a July report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of food consumed at home has risen by 3.6% over the last year.
Amy Ragan, the chief development officer at Houston Food Bank, says economic challenges have exacerbated the demand for hunger relief.
“I’m just so glad (Swift) supports food banks, because the need is high, especially with inflation now,” Ragan tells TODAY.com. “Food banks are working hard every day. And you know, it’s been tough getting food donations at some points.”
Swift has now donated to the Houston Food Bank twice: First in 2017, during Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, and again in April of this year when she stopped in Houston on her tour.
“Someone like Taylor, when she’s bringing this much attention, certainly helped us gain more awareness, which is what we need to drive up donations again,” she continued.
Attracting Swift’s attention in Texas
Some organizations took a proactive approach to reaching Swift.
The Tarrant Area Food Bank, located in Fort Worth, Texas, had heard about Swift's food bank donations at other “Eras Tour” stops.
“We have a lot of Swifties at the Tarrant Area Food Bank,” Stephen Raeside, the organization's chief development and external affairs officer, tells TODAY.com.
In hopes of catching Swift's attention when she performed in nearby Arlington, the Tarrant Area Food Bank launched an Instagram campaign, temporarily changing their name to the “Taylor Area Food Bank.”
The organization received a phone call from Swift’s representatives with the news that Swift would donate to the food bank on the day of her first Arlington concert.
“It was a very generous donation,” shares Raeside.
Swift’s contribution was used to support the food bank’s summer hunger campaign, Raeside says. During the summer, children don’t have access to the free and reduced school meal programs, putting a greater burden on families facing food insecurity.
“An endorsement from Taylor is more than we could ever ask for, and it led to a very successful fundraising campaign to provide those greatly needed summer meals,” Raeside says.
Tarrant Area Food Bank provided 600,000 meals each week before the pandemic, according to Raeside, but increased to one million weekly meals during and after the pandemic.
“It put so many of our working families back over the edge,” Raeside says, “But thankfully, along with partners like Taylor Swift, Tarrant Area Food Bank and all the Swifties here on staff are ready to meet that need.”
Crucially, Swift’s involvement brought the Tarrant Area Food Bank some much-needed public attention.
“Taylor is absolutely a catalyst for social change,” Raeside says. “When Taylor donates, people follow.”
Swift also contributed the “gift of awareness”
For hunger relief organizations, having Swift’s name attached to their work is priceless publicity.
“The best part of this is that Taylor Swift has one of the biggest voices on the planet,” Coleman says. “When Taylor Swift talks about something, everybody talks about something. And that’s what we’re trying to do with hunger. We’re trying to make everybody aware of the size and scope of the problem, and then we can address it.”
“The cash gift was incredible,” he adds. “But the real lasting gift of that was the gift of awareness that she gave to her fans.”
Beck echoes this sentiment: “It’s just that awareness she has. She has such a beautiful reputation with the public for doing good things. And to be attached to that for us was priceless.”
Gubbi says Swift's high-profile donation has encouraged others to contribute.
“More people are becoming aware,” she says. “And we are seeing more people talking to us and donating to us. I think over time, it’ll generate more interest and more donations.”
While celebrity attention is certainly a boon to food banks, Gubbi hopes people will be inspired to make a difference on a local level.
“You don’t have to be a celebrity to do what you can in your own community,” she says. “I think when celebrities do this, it reminds all of us to pause and do what we can. We all get so busy and caught up in our lives. I think it just reminds all of us that each of us can make a difference in our community.”
