Critical Local Services
The third prong of our mission is to support critical local services. While workforce education and the fight against hunger remain our primary focus, it is important to both AWMH and Metallica to contribute where we can to disaster relief efforts.
Natural Disasters
Matthew Abbott | The New York Times/Redux
In 2017, the year AWMH was established, California experienced a particularly destructive wildfire season, which has tragically become the new normal. Seeing the suffering first-hand in our home state and, at times, in our home towns inspired the inclusion of critical local services in our mission.
"We’re an international band. Our music transcends all borders, all barriers, all boundaries. Why can’t our help do the same?"
- Kirk Hammett
AWMH has donated to disaster relief efforts following wildfires, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes with a geographic reach spanning Australia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Turkey, Haiti, Germany, Brazil, Hawai’i, and several of the contiguous United States.
Public Safety & Health
Severe weather events are not the only danger to communities requiring relief responses. Shelter, safety, and health are among the most basic human needs, yet many are forced to live without access. This is why AWMH donates to organizations supporting unhoused populations and victims of domestic violence, often focusing on women and children. In addition to safe shelter, the centers receiving grants provide access to food, health services, counseling, and professional support. These resources empower the clientele to create a foundation for a more stable future, which is an investment in both the individual and the community.
Transcending from local concern to global crisis with the Coronavirus pandemic, AWMH responded with two rounds of relief grants totaling $645,000 to organizations already on the front lines of the crisis. Recipients included Feeding America, Direct Relief, Live Nation's Crew Nation Initiative, The Recording Academy's MusiCares, and the United States Bartenders' Guild National Charity Foundation's Bartender Emergency Assistance Program. These organizations provided vital resources, including food, medical supplies, and unemployment support during the stay-at-home order.
Beyond contributing funding for food access, medical supply access, and unemployment support, Metallica stepped in to provide an outlet for entertainment and a semblance of normalcy by creating a weekly streaming series called #MetallicaMondays.
Over the course of 23 weeks, complete concert footage from the band’s archives streamed for free on both Facebook and YouTube. Metallica also attached fundraisers to each post, providing an outlet for viewers wanting to pitch in, raising over $100,000 for AWMH and our COVID-19 response efforts.
