For many concert-goers who made it out to one or both of Metallica’s shows in Edmonton this weekend, the fact the band chose Alberta’s capital as one of only two Canadian stops on its current tour is worth celebrating, and nothing else matters.
But through its non-profit foundation, the iconic heavy metal band also left smiles on the faces of more Edmontonians than just those who know the words to their songs.
Sometime after the final chords rang out at Metallica’s Sunday night concert at Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton’s Food Bank and the women’s shelter WIN House each received $50,000 donations from the band’s philanthropic organization, All Within My Hands.
Doug Thomson, a spokesperson for Edmonton’s Food Bank, told Global News about the unexpected phone call his organization received from someone working for All Within My Hands.
“(The woman said), ‘You are one of two organizations that will be receiving a donation from this foundation following Metallica’s two shows on the weekend,'” Thomson recounted. “It’s an incredible surprise to get a phone call like that, with a donation like that.
“That $50,000 came out of nowhere. We are very, very excited to have received it.”
Leslie Allen, the executive director of WIN House, also recalled how excited people involved with her organization were after receiving a similar call.
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“It came unexpectedly,” she said. “When you get a donation like that, it really causes a lot of buzz within our organization and even within our sector.”
She said WIN House relies on fundraising for about 35 per cent of its budget and said “all donations that come into WIN House go directly to the women and children that we serve.”
A post on the All Within My Hands website says the non-profit is “dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services.”
“Supporting local food banks while on tour is something Metallica has been doing quietly for years,” the organization’s website says. “The creation of the foundation allowed the band to take this kind of giving to the next level.”
“To my knowledge, I don’t believe we’ve received a donation like this from an international band,” Thomson said, adding that he hopes the donation might inspire others who look up to the musicians to contribute to the food bank themselves.
“We still need help.”
Thomson noted that “everything’s just so expensive now.” For example, he said the food bank currently spends about $9,000 a week on eggs alone.
“We still need donations.”
Since Metallica’s current world tour got underway, All Within My Hands has made donations to various cities the band has performed in.
Aside from Edmonton, the only other Canadian city the band was scheduled to play on this leg of the tour was Montreal. The Quebec and Alberta shows mark the first Metallica performances in Canada since 2018.
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