Taylor Swift has long been hailed for making an impact on local economies, but she's been helping out locally in more direct ways, too. The Independent reports that the 34-year-old pop star made an "unexpected" donation to 1,400 or so food banks run by the Trussell Trust, an anti-poverty UK charity, as well as to community groups in UK cities where Swift stopped on her Eras Tour. "We weren't expecting it, but obviously we were really delighted when we found out," Trussell rep Sophie Carre says of Swift's "generous donation" of an undisclosed amount.
Carre adds that Swift's involvement in helping fight hunger and poverty, which Carre says has had a "national impact," could help spur others to act as well. "It really makes a difference, and hopefully it will encourage others to support us if they can, and to play a part," she notes. Over the summer, the AP wondered if Swift had created "a new era for food bank donations," noting that since March, the singer has donated "the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of meals."
Rachel Biggs, CEO of Cardiff Foodbank, applauded Swift for her most recent giving in a statement. "We are incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift not only for her generous donation, but for shining a light on the global issue of poverty and the need to support local food banks," the statement noted, per People. "Kind gestures never go out of style," Trussell wrote Thursday on social media. (More Taylor Swift stories.)