Through his charity, the Morgan Wallen Foundation, country singer Morgan Wallen has donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross to support the humanitarian organization’s relief efforts in response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene across the southeast.
On Monday, the 31-year-old singer-songwriter, who was born and raised in Tennessee, took to social media to convey his heartfelt prayers to those affected by the hurricane.
“My family in East Tennessee are safe but I know many are absolutely devastated there and in multiple states,” he wrote in an Instagram story. “It is going to take a monumental effort and I am in contact with my team and others working on ways I can help.”
After making landfall as a Category 4 storm in the Big Bend region of Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sept. 29, Helene moved up the coast, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Ranking among the deadliest storms in U.S. history, Helene has left more than 160 people dead in states along the southeast coast, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia.
In addition to its efforts to assist areas in Virginia and Ohio that were impacted by the remnants of Helene, the charity said it is distributing food in Florida and Georgia and providing safe drinking water and cots to those working to restore power in South Carolina.
“Across several open shelters in Tennessee, we’re ensuring people’s basic needs are met with food, emotional support and more,” the nonprofit wrote.
“In North Carolina, we’re deploying dozens of emergency response vehicles daily with emergency supplies and opening shelters as needed to support the growing needs of those affected. We’re also supporting reunification efforts for those still missing loved ones.”
In a statement shared with The Epoch Times, Trevor Riggen, the American Red Cross’s president of humanitarian services, expressed gratitude to Wallen for his foundation’s contribution.
The Morgan Wallen Foundation
Wallen debuted his third and latest album, “One Thing at a Time,” last year, which features the country singer’s hit song “Last Night.”However, the country star first gained national recognition in 2014 after appearing on the sixth season of the reality singing competition “The Voice.” The singer signed to the record label Big Loud two years later, releasing his debut studio album, “If I Know Me,” in 2018.
Wallen put out his sophomore album, “Dangerous: The Double Album,” in 2021, the same year he founded his organization, the Morgan Wallen Foundation, which aims to provide youth with opportunities in music and sports—two subjects the singer enjoyed studying when he was in school.
Most recently, the foundation donated $140,000 to Gibbs Youth Sports, a youth organization based in Corryton, Tennessee, located about 20 miles northeast of Knoxville.
“We’re going to be doing a lot of work there, but basically the overall gist of it is they’re gonna make the park usable all year round for the kids there, so really awesome stuff,” Wallen explained on Sept. 19.
“I hope this opportunity helps create, you know, the ability for more kids to play sports in my hometown for years to come.”
