Taylor Swift is known for her generosity toward her fans — and her most recent acts of kindness are potentially life-changing. After hearing about two moms who were struggling, the artist gave them each $13,000.
Swift read about Nikki Cornwell and Shelbie Selewski in a Washington Post article detailing the hard times they fell on due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemicand reached out to help.
Single mom and COVID-19 survivor Cornwell revealed on her GoFundMe page that she was struggling to support her kids after missing out on a job opportunity in May when she and her family became ill from the coronavirus.
“I’m about $5,000 behind on my rent and I don’t have much time to move by January 5th,” the Nashville resident reported on the fundraising site. “I don’t know if my kids will even have a Christmas. This has been a horrible year for us.”
Taylor responded to the plea on Dec. 9 with a substantial donation and a message of support.
“Nikki, I read about you in the Washington Post and thought it was really brave of you to share your story,” Swift wrote. “I’m so sorry for everything you’ve had to go through this year and wanted to send you this gift, from one Nashville girl to another.”
Michigan-based Selewski wrote on her own GoFundMe page that she lost her job in the spring and is raising a daughter “who was born with a collapsed lung right before Covid.” She also shared that she and her fiancé “sold everything we could possibly sell” to stay afloat, but it wasn’t enough.
“Shelbie, I’m sending you this gift after reading about you in The Washington Post. No one should have to feel the kind of stress that’s been put on you,” Swift wrote on her page. “I hope you and your beautiful family have a great holiday season.”
Both moms have been blown away by the unexpected gifts, “Good Morning America” reports.
“My family has smiles [and we’re] going to be okay,” said Cornwell, while Selewski called Swift’s kindness “the biggest blessing.”
Swift has a reputation for helping out people in need. In August, she gave a young woman living in London just under $30,700 — the amount of money she needed to study at the University of Warwick, England. Vitoria Mario had been deemed ineligible for loans or grants to pay for her tuition, accommodation and books over the course of her four-year degree.
She also made a recent donation to a fan’s local food bank. Sarah Bailey had tagged Swift in a post about her family’s light display, which used Swift’s song “Christmas Tree Farm” and solicited donations of food to help others. She later posted a screenshot of a message Swift had sent, saying she had donated to Our Community Hunger Center in Twinsburg, Ohio.
GUYS SHE SAW THE VIDEO AND MESSAGED ME OMG OMG OMG IM FREAKING OUT THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR SHARING!!!!! ðððððððððð@taylorswift13 @taylornation13 #TaylorSwift I LOVE YOU TAYLOR!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/6zd52CUCcg
— Sarah Bailey (@SarahJBailes) December 8, 2020
It seems that compassion runs in Swift’s family, too: Remember when her dad delivered pizza to fans waiting in line to see her? Thanks to the star for giving back when so many people could use some cheer!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
