Metallica make huge donation to Australian bushfire relief effort
Ever-charitable metal legends Metallica have donated A$750,000 (around £392,000) to the Australian bushfire relief effort.
Lars, James, Robert and Kirk made the sizable donation via their non-profit All Within My Hands Foundation and the money will be split between the NSW Rural Fire Service and to the CFA (Country Fire Authority) in Victoria.
Announcing their pledge, Metallica said: “We are totally overwhelmed by the news of the wildfires sweeping through millions of acres across Australia, with major impact in New South Wales and Victoria. The resulting destruction and devastating effects on all residents, animals, the environment and the incredible land in Australia is truly heartbreaking.
“Please join us and do whatever you can to assist as we, along with our All Within My Hands Foundation, are pledging A$750,000 to the NSW Rural Fire Service and to the CFA (Country Fire Authority) in Victoria to aid in the relief efforts.”
The band also provided further information about the two volunteer firefighting organisations they’re helping.
They added: “NSW Rural Fire Service is the world’s largest volunteer firefighting organization and all funds donated during this State of Emergency are directed toward services related to and victims of these particularly destructive Australian bushfires.
“CFA (Country Fire Authority) is a volunteer and community-based fire and emergency services organization which helps to protect 3.3 million Victorians, and works together with communities to keep Victorians safe from fire and other emergencies.”
Of course, it’s not the first time Metallica have made donations to help with fire relief efforts.
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.
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.