The Weeknd donates $300K to Beirut relief fund

The Weeknd is the gift that keeps on giving—literally and figuratively. Over the past few months, the Canadian has donated more than $2 million to a handful of charities, taking the phrase “spreading the wealth” to the max. His latest effort is a $300,000 donation to the Global Aid for Lebanon campaign.The campaign has been aiding victims in Beirut following the August 4 explosion that is believed to have killed more than 220 people, injured 6,000, and displaced more than 300,000 citizens. Funds from the campaign are spread to support the Lebanese Red Cross, United Nations World Food Programme, and the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon. The Weeknd's (whose real name is Abel Tesfaye) donation was confirmed by his manager, Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, who also pledged $250,000 to the campaign with his wife Rima Fakih.“I am so honoured and humbled to work with artists who have such deep care for the world and right now for our brothers & sisters of Lebanon who are in pain and need our collective help,” Slaiby wrote on Instagram August 12. “I want to thank my brother @theweeknd for his generous and class act of donating $300,000 to the Global Aid for Lebanon campaign.”

 

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I am so honored and humbled to work with artist’s who have such deep care for the world and right now for our brothers & sisters of Lebanon who are in pain and need our collective help. I want to thank my brother @theweeknd for his generous and class act of donating $300,000 to the Global Aid for Lebanon campaign. Also, I want to give a special thank you to Michael Rapino @michaelrapino and my Live Nation family for $50,000 donation. Give what you can and let’s repost so the world can come together to help Lebanon from this this devastating tragedy. #GlobalAidForLebanon @glblctzn @lebaneseredcross @wfpusa @wfp_mena @ccclebanon

A post shared by Wassim Slaiby - CEO SAL (@salxo) on Aug 12, 2020 at 12:59pm PDT

“Also, I want to give a special thank you to Michael Rapino @michaelrapino and my Live Nation family for $50,000 donation,” Slaiby continued in his post. “Give what you can and let’s repost so the world can come together to help Lebanon from this this devastating tragedy.” Slaiby and Fakih were both born in Lebanon. Fakih emigrated to the U.S. as a child, while Slaiby came to Canada as a teenager. The pair wed in May 2016 in a ceremony which The Weeknd also attended.This recent act of charity by The Weeknd is the latest in a series of donations to worthy causes. In June, the performer responded to a call to action by Mustafa the Poet, and gave $200K to the Black Lives Matter Global Network, $200K to the Colin Kaepernick Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative, and $100K to the National Bail Out. Later that month, he also dispersed $500,000 to support frontline hospital workers in his hometown of Scarborough, Ontario and another $500,000 to MusiCares’ COVID-19 relief fund.[video_embed id='2012026']RELATED: From Oprah to Regina King, the stars continue to demand justice for Breonna Taylor [/video_embed]That same month, he also brought back his XO themed face masks, with 100 per cent of proceeds going to COVID-19 relief. And recently held an interactive virtual concert on TikTok that drew more than two million viewers and raised $350,000 for the Equal Justice Initiative through a limited edition Weeknd x TikTok capsule collection.[video_embed id='2012532']BEFORE YOU GO: Hollywood reacts to Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s running mate [/video_embed]