What started as a viral tweet hoping to spur some extra donations to the Ottawa Food Bank during the novel coronavirus pandemic has evolved into a full-fledged partnership between legendary American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and Canada’s capital.
Though the team-up might seem an unlikely one, it traces back to a spontaneous donation from Wu-Tang Clan to the Ottawa Food Bank in April.
Last month, Mayor Jim Watson organized a social media campaign with Shopify COO Harley Finkelstein that would see the Ottawa entrepreneur donate $1 for every retweet the campaign post received.
Jumping on board was Adam Miron, co-founder of Gatineau, Que.-based cannabis producer Hexo Corp., who tagged his contacts at Wu-Tang.
As soon as the hip-hop group announced it was jumping on board to support the food bank, the campaign went viral and donations began to pour in, raising more than $170,000 in 24 hours.
Dubbed A Better Tomorrow, the new campaign is spearheaded by 36 Chambers, a lifestyle company spun out of the Wu-Tang brand and looks to capitalize on the buzz generated by the original viral tweet.
Profits from the sale of the campaign’s merchandise, including an “OttaWu” shirt, a plant-based hand sanitizer and a custom meal from Ottawa’s Pure Kitchen, will support the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, the Ottawa Mission as well as the local food bank.
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