(Web Desk) - Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have donated $26 million to at least 20 charities this week, a representative announced, in advance of a wedding reported to be taking place this weekend in New York.
The pair have still not officially acknowledged that nuptials are about to take place, and even the announcement of the charitable efforts does not mention the wedding, though it’s clear that the donations are part of this week’s celebrating.
Although the size of the individual donations was not noted, City Harvest in New York issued a release including the amount they had received from the couple.
“We are incredibly grateful for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s generous $1 million donation to City Harvest. This donation is a love letter to New York, and a bold commitment to our efforts to ensure that no New Yorker goes hungry,” said Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest.
“Their support comes at a critical time, with visits to New York City soup kitchens and food pantries near record highs and expected to increase further in response to federal funding cuts.”
The Rhode Island Community Food Bank also issued a statement. “We are incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for their extraordinarily generous and unexpected gift,” said Melissa Cherney, the food bank’s CEO.
“As the need across our communities continues to grow, this $1 million donation will go a long way in helping us purchase and distribute the nutritious, culturally appropriate food that Rhode Islanders deserve. I hope their gift inspires others; it has certainly inspired us.”
Swift has a history of making large-scale donations, although in most instances these have been revealed by the charities themselves and not the singer.
Throughout her record-breaking Eras Tour, local food banks revealed that they had received a donation from Swift as her tour passed through town.
Other donations in recent years have gone to animal rescue organizations, Florida hurricane relief, Tennessee tornado relief, Los Angeles wildfire relief, hunger organizations, the American Heart Association, children’s hospitals and individual fans suffering with cancer.
Although still officially unacknowledged by Swift’s camp, reports of a wedding celebration at Madison Square Garden this weekend have been confirmed by officials and workers on the ground, with indications that a rehearsal dinner will take place in a smaller-sized auditorium at the venue Thursday, followed by a much larger celebration in the arena space Friday.
The 20 charities include nine food banks, an animal cruelty organization, seven educational programs, and three children’s hospitals.
The announcement simply says, “This week, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift donated $26 million to charities across the United States.