Taylor Swift Donates $1 Million to Tornado Relief: ‘Nashville is My Home’
Taylor Swift has pledged a donation of $1 million to her longtime home state of Tennessee, in the wake of a a deadly tornado that ravaged the area and claimed the lives of over 20 people. According to the Tennesseean, Swift's contribution will benefit the Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund.
"Nashville is my home," the singer explains in an Instagram story. "The fact that so many people have lost their homes and so much more in Middle Tennessee is devastating to me."
In the same story, Swift told her fans that she'd made a donation and invited them to do the same, though she didn't reveal the amount she'd given to the Fund. Her spokesperson confirmed that information to the Tennessean, however.
The country singer-turned-pop superstar is one of a number of artists with Nashville connections who are donating to relief efforts in the state. Kacey Musgraves has directed the proceeds from her Stage to Closet sale to helping those affected by the storms, Cole Swindell has announced the same plans for merch sales from his upcoming Toledo, Ohio, show, and Mitchell Tenpenny is helming a concert to raise money for the victims.
For his part, Chris Young donated $50,000 to tornado relief efforts, and Dan + Shay have made a $100,000 contribution to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, the Tennessean reports.
The tornado, which ripped through Nashville and the surrounding area in the small hours of Tuesday morning (March 3), devastating the city's Germantown, North Nashville and East Nashville neighborhoods. More than 40 Music City buildings collapsed in the wake of the storm, including beloved music venue the Basement East.
Two East Nashville residents lost their lives in the tornado, with Wilson, Benton and Putnam Counties also reporting deaths. Putnam County -- home to Cookeville, Tenn. -- was the worst affected in terms fatalities, reporting at least 18 deaths and 88 people being treated for injuries. Go here for more information on how to help those affected by the tornado.
LOOK: Scenes From the 2020 Nashville Tornado