Metallica, the 37-year-old heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, is in the middle of their WorldWired tour, a three-year tour supporting their Hardwired… to Self-Destruct album from 2016. The WorldWired tour also saw the creation of the band’s nonprofit foundation, All Within My Hands, named after a song from their 2003 album, St. Anger.
“All Within My Hands Foundation is dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services,” the foundation’s website reads.
In this globe-spanning tour, the band has been donating some of the funds raised at each concert to local services, such as volunteer fire stations, children’s charities, and food banks. For instance, after their concert at Pennsylvania State College, they coordinated with Feeding America and with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s organization to donate $10,000. That check will provide close to 60,000 meals to the organization, which supports food banks in 27 Pennsylvania counties.
“This donation is really important going into the holiday season,” said Jennifer Sands, communications manager for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. “So we’re very excited about it.”
The holiday season is often a particularly difficult time for low-income families, with winter weather causing extra expenses and leaner job opportunities.
Metallica lists five major charities they’ve supported in 2018 on their website, but a browse through their photo gallery shows many more. Since the early ’80s, they have been a band with global impact. It’s heartening to see that impact spread from the art world to good works. They have a nearly infinite platform, coupled with a far-reaching voice. Watching them build a larger table can only have a net positive effect on the world.
All Within My Hands also runs a regular fundraiser, the first Tuesday of every month, over eBay. Unique band memorabilia is auctioned off with proceeds going to help fund the foundation’s donations. The next one will take place on Tuesday, November 6.