Taylor Swift understands the gift of giving. The 34-year-old pop star has reportedly been donating at various U.K. Eras Tour stops for weeks.
Rachel Biggs, the CEO of Cardiff Foodbank, told The Guardian in an interview published on Tuesday, June 25, that Swift 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 Swift’s 152-date European leg, the BBC notes.
Though Biggs did not specify the amount of money given, she said it was a huge help. “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.
According to Biggs, the Grammy winner’s contribution helps to feed “1,200 people three meals a day, for three days – or 10,800 meals.” Cardiff Foodbank also thanked Swift on Instagram with a photo of the singer’s signature friendship bracelets that read, “Thank you Taylor Love, Cardiff Food Bank.” In the caption, the charity said the donation was “beyond our Wildest Dreams,” a nod to a song on Swift’s 1989 album.
The Guardian also spoke with Rich Jones, the CEO of Liverpool’s St. Andrew’s Community Network, which oversees 11 food banks. Jones called Swift’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.”
On June 11, the Daily Mail reported that the “Shake It Off” hitmaker donated to local food banks in Edinburgh during her time in Scotland’s capital city. “Thank you so much Taylor – you have changed Edinburgh for good,” the Edinburgh Food Project shared on Instagram.
Swift’s charitable donations aren’t the only thing grabbing attention during her tour. Travis Kelce recently joined Swift in London — in a twist that no one could have seen coming. On Sunday, June 23, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end performed onstage with the “Love Story” singer at London’s Wembley Stadium. The couple, who have been publicly dating since October 2023, coordinated in tuxedo and top hat looks for the show.
While speaking with Barstool Sports’ Bussin’ With The Boys podcast on Tuesday, the Super Bowl winner gushed over how “proud” he was of Swift. “You want to keep things private, but at the same time I’m not here to hide anything,” Kelce said of their romance. “That’s my girl. You know what I mean? That’s my lady. So it’s like, I’m proud of that.” “You just don’t want to let everybody into your personal life and be able to comment on it knowing that everything she does is getting a headline.”
Taylor Swift is working to leave the cities on her Eras Tour route a little better than she found them. As the 34-year-old pop star has taken her global trek to Europe this summer, she’s continued her trend of donating to food banks along the way. And according to one charity in Liverpool — where Swift performed three nights at Anfield Stadium earlier this month — a recent contribution from the singer will take care of crucial gaps in their fundraising efforts, providing for a full year’s worth of meals.
“It’s the most incredible gift,” Rich Jones, chief executive of St. Andrew’s Community Network, told The Guardian in an interview published Tuesday (June 25). “Because of rising prices, rising need and falling donations, we’ve been having to subsidize our food ourselves for a long while.”
“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,” he added on behalf of St. Andrew’s, which runs 11 food banks and offers long-term support to eight community pantries.
Shortly after performing in Liverpool, the “Anti-Hero” singer brought her Eras showcase to Wales. According to Rachel Biggs, chief executive of Cardiff Foodbank, Swift also covered 10,800 meals with a discreet donation to the organization in honor of her single performance at Principality Stadium June 18.
“We’re going to buy an articulated lorry full of food and other most-needed items to supplement our emergency food parcels,” Biggs told the publication. “This will provide the weight equivalent to feeding 1,200 people three meals a day, for three days … This will be 2.5 weeks of what we typically distribute.”
Though Swift doesn’t publicize her donations, Liverpool and Cardiff are only two of the latest cities to report receiving generous donations from the 14-time Grammy winner over the course of her Eras Tour. When she was on the North American leg, food banks in Arizona, Nevada and Florida all revealed that she had sent funding their way.
Following three nights at London’s Wembley Stadium last weekend, Swift is next slated to perform three shows in Dublin June 28-30. She’ll spend the rest of the summer traveling throughout Europe before returning to North America for a final lap this fall.
“Wembley Stadium round one was so surreal,” she wrote in a recent Instagram post. “Looking out into crowds of 90,000 fans each night and hearing that VOLUME… Those were some of the loudest crowds I’ve ever heard … Never going to forget these shows.”
Source: The Guardian, BBC, Daily Mail
