In the wake of the spread of the coronavirus, the most vulnerable people in our communities need help now more than ever. METALLICA's All Within My Hands is reaching out with four grants totaling $350,000 to organizations dedicated to assisting those hit hard by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic: Feeding America, Direct Relief, Crew Nation, USBG National Charity Foundation and One Final Note. METALLICA has commented on each choice below. Feeding America "Earlier this week, we told you about Feeding America's recently launched 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, METALLICA's 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." 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." One Final Note "As the COVID-19 pandemic has sent us retreating to our homes, METALLICA has launched the 'Metallica Mondays' streaming series: Each Monday at 5:00 pm PST they'll broadcast a full concert from the METALLICA video archives directly to your couch via Facebook Live and YouTube. Generous donations to AWMH from fans enjoying the weekly series have already amounted to $15,000 and we'll continue to raise funds during the weekly streams to support those impacted by COVID-19." METALLICA added: "We know this is the hardest of times for many of you, but if you would like to support any of these organizations, please feel free reach out directly to our incredibly dedicated partners as the needs are very wide-ranging; every dollar helps." Millions of Americans are facing stay-at-home orders as the coronavirus continues to tear its way through the U.S. More than 965,000 coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide and more than 49,000 deaths so far, putting public health systems and emergency services under immense pressure. U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.
Continue reading...
Continue reading...
