(The Hill) — Taylor Swift donated $5 million to Feeding America’s disaster relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Helene and Milton, the nonprofit agency announced on Wednesday.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift for her generous $5 million donation to Hurricanes Helene and Milton relief efforts,” Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot said in a statement.
“This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water, and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms. Together, we can make a real impact in supporting families as they navigate the challenges ahead.
“Thank you, Taylor, for standing with us in the movement to end hunger and for helping communities in need,” Babineaux-Fontenot continued.
The announcement came just hours before Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on the west coast of the Florida peninsula, bringing what experts predict will be historic storm surges, heavy rainfall and record-breaking flash and urban flooding.
Already, by late afternoon Wednesday, Florida was seeing severe flooding and multiple tornadoes.
The storm also comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic damage to southern states, including Florida.
Since then, Feeding America has aided in the recovery efforts, deploying 140 truckloads of food, water, and other relief supplies to 11 food banks in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, according to the organization, which said is also ready to respond to Hurricane Milton.
“As we brace for Milton’s impact, Feeding America is mobilizing resources to ensure they can respond quickly to communities in need,” a Feeding America statement read.