Liverpool foodbank charity says donation from Taylor Swift will make a difference to thousands

Taylor Swift has certainly left her mark on Liverpool.

A Liverpool charity which received a ‘generous’ donation from Taylor Swift says her kindness will make a difference to thousands of people in the city.

The St Andrew’s Community Network, which runs and supports 11 foodbanks and eight community food pantries across North Liverpool, is keeping tight-lipped about the exact sum of the financial gift it’s been given by Taylor Swift who played a three-night sell-out gig at Anfield last week.

But it says it will make a massive difference to the people it helps and is hugely appreciated.

Charlotte Moorcroft, fundraising and communications officer for the Clubmoor-based charity, says: “They have asked us not to say how much we have been given and of course we want to respect that.

“But it is so appreciated and will make a difference to thousands of people across the city, desperately.”

The charity supports around 36,000 people every year across its network of foodbanks and community food spaces, and many hundreds more through debt and welfare benefits advice in their mission to set people free from poverty. 

Charlotte says: “We had seen that Taylor supported a food project in Edinburgh after her performances there and we were wondering whether she would do the same in Liverpool.

“Our CEO received an email last weekend, and then there was a call from someone in America which at first we kept missing, and we didn’t know exactly what it was about. But then yesterday (Friday) we found out that we had been given the donation by Taylor Swift, and it’s huge for us.

“Aside from the donation itself, the publicity and the awareness it brings to our work has been huge, we have been so busy with enquiries since the donation was announced.

“And it also gives us the opportunity to reach people who might not know about us and who we can offer help.”

She adds: “As an organisation, getting the information out there as to who we are, and where we are, is so important if people in Liverpool, and north Liverpool, are struggling.

“And this has given us a huge boost to let people know that we are there if they need us. 

“It’s just incredible.”

Charlotte says more and more people are battling to survive at the moment and the need for all of the charity’s services has sadly increased over the last few years.

“So we can’t thank Taylor enough for her incredible support of our work.

“To have someone like her seeing what we are doing in our community and supporting our endeavours in the way she has, choosing to help people in crisis in Liverpool, means so much to us.

“I can’t begin to say how important it is to us, and how much of a boost it is.  It’s mind-blowing.”

Charlotte is actually one of Taylor’s fans and managed to go and see the singer, who’s in the UK with her Eras tour, after being on a waiting list and getting a last-minute ticket for the first night.

“I had been trying to get tickets for over a year and got off the waiting list at the last minute,” grins Charlotte. “That’s why, as a personal fan, I am also really excited that she has chosen to support us.

“The concert was incredible. She is an amazing performer, every song she sings is a hit, and she is incredible, as a person as well as a performer. This donation has shown the sort of person she is.

“She does this in every city she plays in and it’s amazing when you think about the amount of help she is giving to communities she goes to, areas that she doesn’t really even know about.

“Taylor Swift is probably one of the most famous people in the world at the moment, and the support she gives to charities in every place she goes, as well as boosting the local economies there, is incredible.

“We are so, so grateful.”

* Those who are able, and wish to join Taylor in her support for the important work of the charity, can follow this link to donate via standrewslive.org.uk/donate

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