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Taylor Swift donates nearly £10,000 each to two mothers struggling to pay rent due to coronavirus

‘No one should have to feel the kind of stress that’s been put on you… Love, Taylor,’ Swift commented on one of the giving pages

Isobel Lewis
Wednesday 09 December 2020 02:42 EST
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Taylor Swift has donated $13,000 (£9700) to two mothers struggling to make ends meet due to the coronavirus crisis.

The “Cardigan” singer was inspired to donate by a Washington Post article which detailed the plights of Americans who were behind on rent due to the government's lack of stimulus agreement.

One of the two women, Nikki Cornwell from Nashville, told the publication that she owed $5,000 (£3700) in rent when the job she was meant to start in May got sidetracked after she tested positive for Covid-19.

“This has been a horrible year for us,” Cornwell wrote on her GoFundMe, adding that she wasn’t sure whether her children would be able to celebrate Christmas this year.

Donating to the online giving page, Swift wrote: “Nikki, I read about you in the Washington Post and thought it was really brave of you to share your story. 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. Love, Taylor.”

In addition, Swift also sent a donation to Shelbie Selewski from Michigan, who lost her job in the spring and had to stay home to look after her infant daughter, who was born with a collapsed lung.

Selewski wrote on her GoFundMe that the family had “sold everything we could possibly sell” to pay their bills, with Swift also donating $13,000 and commenting: “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. I hope you and your beautiful family have a great holiday season. Love, Taylor.”

This is not the first time Swift has made a sizable donation to a GoFundMe page, in August the artist gave £22,000 to help a Portuguese migrant be able to study at the University of Warwick.

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