Metallica have donated $350,000 to charities in aid of those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The band has actioned the donation via their “All Within My Hands” Foundation and it will be distributed to four charities – Feeding America, Direct Relief, Crew Nation and The USBG National Charity Foundation.
James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo said that they wanted to assist ‘those hit hard’ by the coronavirus pandemic including the hungry, healthcare workers in desperate need of equipment, and live concert crew members and hospitality workers without work.
Metallica have also said that their #MetallicaMondays concert series each Monday night (the band publishes entire concert performances on YouTube and Facebook, have already raised $15,000 from fans) will also go to coronavirus relief.
Metallica also provided further information about each of the four charities, which you can read below:
FEEDING AMERICA
Earlier this month, Feeding America launched a COVID-19 Response Fund as they continue to work with their network of local food banks reacting to the specific needs of individual communities. As the need continues to grow, our local food banks are suffering from a lack of volunteers, donations, and food distribution assistance from their normal channels. AWMH has pledged $100,000 to this fund.
DIRECT RELIEF
As of last week, Direct Relief has responded to 22 countries, providing more than 40 tons of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers on the front lines. Direct Relief will continue to expand and diversify its efforts as the secondary effects of this pandemic on the healthcare system become more evident. Direct Relief is in constant collaboration and communication with allies in the battle to manage this outbreak through its relationships across global, international, and national agencies such as the WHO, the US Dept of Health and Human Services, the CDC, ASPR, State Offices of emergency management, etc. AWMH has pledged $100,000 to this fund.
CREW NATION
As you all know, our live shows — all live music in general — would not be possible without the countless crew members working behind the scenes. As COVID-19 puts the entire live music industry on pause, we want to extend a helping hand to the touring and venue crews who make their living show-to-show. Our partners at Live Nation have committed $10 million to their Crew Nation initiative, contributing an initial $5 million to the fund, then matching the next $5 million donated by artists, fans, and employees. We’re happy to pledge $100,000 to this fund to help those who make it all happen for us year in and year out on the road.
THE USBG NATIONAL CHARITY FOUNDATION
In addition to the hard-working crews who support us on tour, we rely heavily on the worldwide hospitality industry. As restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, bars, and other food and beverage providers have been forced to close or shift to delivery/pick-up operations, hundreds of thousands of workers are suddenly without jobs. We’re pledging $50,000 to the Bartender Emergency Assistance Program (BEAP) to assist qualified bartenders, bar backs, and bar servers in need of financial assistance.
Founded in 2017 and taking its name from the closing ‘St. Anger’ track, Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation is dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services.
Last summer, Metallica handed over £40,000 to a Manchester homeless charity and cheques for £24,000 to two London charities fighting hunger during the UK leg of their WorldWired Tour.
Back in January, Metallica pledged a $750,000 to the Australian bushfire relief effort.
Last November Metallica pledged $100,000 to the Sonoma County Resilience Fund and the Wildfire Relief Fund to support those affected by fires in both Northern and Southern California.
The previous year they also donated $100,000 to the North Valley Community Foundation and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation to assist in their relief efforts.