The Weeknd Donates $1 Million To His Hometown’s Coronavirus Relief

30 June 2020, 17:12

The Weeknd has given a generous $1million to MusiCares and to the frontline workers of his hometown, in Canada.

The Weeknd has donated a whopping $1million (£800,000) to coronavirus relief efforts.

The huge donation was split between giving $500,000 (£400,000) to music charity MusiCares and the remaining half a million dollars went to the frontline hospital workers of Scarborough Health Network in the Canadian star’s hometown of Toronto.

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The money was raised from selling personalised XO face masks online, where he matched every dollar raised.

The ‘In Your Eyes’ star, real name Abel Tesfaye, said in a statement: "I was raised in Scarborough and felt it was important to give back to the community that raised me during the hard times of this pandemic.”

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This comes after he joined fellow collaborator Drake in donating $100,000 to the National Bail Out, earlier this month.

The 30-year-old also donated another $400,000 (£325,000) to other BLM organisations including $200,000 (£163,000) to The Colin Kaepernick Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative and $200,000 to the Black Lives Matter Global Network.

The Scarborough Health Network (SHN) president and CEO Elizabeth Buller said they were ‘fortunate’ to have the singer helping them, saying: "Our vibrant and diverse community represents the best of Canada, and we are fortunate to have ambassadors like The Weeknd in our corner.

“This gift will help our community hospitals continue to deliver exceptional care for the people of Scarborough in the wake of COVID-19, and demonstrates to our courageous staff and physicians that their critical work does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.”

Dr. Elaine Yeung, Corporate Chief and Medical Director, Medicine, added: "Like The Weeknd, many of my fellow frontline workers either come from Scarborough or call this community home.

"It is amazing to see one of our own on the world stage, giving back during our community’s time of need; generous support like this inspires us to keep going.

“This gift represents Scarborough’s incredible spirit and collective passion for shaping a brighter, healthier future.”

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