It’s no “Cruel Summer” for food banks in areas where Taylor Swift is having concerts. In addition to playing sold-out-stadiums, the singer has put money from her hefty ticket prices towards making large donations to local food pantries and banks across the country.
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, a food bank primarily serving San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, received a huge donation from Swift on July 28, chief philanthropy officer Shobana Gubbi told Insider.
Gubbi said the day they received the donation was the “best” and added that employees at Second Harvest were “so excited.”
“We are so grateful to Taylor for using her platform for good and for supporting food banks across the country during her Eras tour,” Gubbi said in an email to Insider. “Here in Silicon Valley, where the level of need has risen again to peak pandemic levels, her generous donation will assist in our ongoing efforts to provide nutritious food.”
With an estimated net worth of over $740 million, the Eras tour could make Swift a billionaire. Forbes previously estimated that the tour could make Swift about $500 million to keep for herself.
Gubbi said she could not provide the exact amount of money Swift donated. Still, he said the funds are unrestricted, meaning the donation can be used for anything Second Harvest decides — and according to Gubbi, 95 cents out of every $1 donated goes directly back into providing their services.
Pre-pandemic, Gubbi said, Second Harvest served about 250,000 per month. Now, she said they serve about 500,000 a month, and nearly one out of six people in Silicon Valley need food assistance.
According to Gubbi, inflation impacting food prices and mass layoffs across Silicon Valley have only increased the pressure on food banks in the area. The end of pandemic-era increases in CalFresh EBT benefits in March 2023 also added to struggling families’ loads.
“When we have supporters of Second Harvest like Taylor, the biggest impact is raising awareness,” Gubbi said. “This is a solvable problem. We can end hunger.”
Second Harvest isn’t the only food bank Swift has donated to so far. According to reporting from CNN, she made similar donations to the Arizona Food Bank Network, Seattle’s Food Lifeline, and Three Square Food Bank, which serves the Las Vegas and southern Nevada area.
Swift has long spent money on philanthropic causes, including food banks, Billboard reported. In 2011, she donated nearly $70,000 to her hometown library, and in 2017 she pledged a donation to Joyful Heart Foundation, which supports survivors of sexual assault. Her other donations have included money toward her fans’ student loans and service dogs, according to Billboard.
