On November 13, Swifties from our community gathered at The Food Bank of Waterloo Region’s distribution centre for our Swifties Against Hunger event. Through ticket sales and generous non-perishable food donations, they helped raise an incredible 1,258 meals—and donations are still coming in! These contributions make a difference for the one in eight households in Waterloo region struggling to afford food.

Attendees kicked off the event with a fun photo op with ‘Taylor Swift,’ then grabbed some snacks and picked out beads for their friendship bracelets. As everyone crafted their bejeweled bracelets, Taylor’s hits played in the background, and it quickly turned into a sing-along.

Once the bracelet-making wrapped up, it was time to test everyone’s Swiftie knowledge with three rounds of trivia. The first round, out of 10 points, included questions like Taylor’s middle name (it’s Alison!). The second round, worth 30 points, challenged everyone to identify a Taylor song after hearing just the first 15 seconds, name the album it’s from, and guess the album’s release year. The final round, out of 10 points, had questions like Taylor’s zodiac sign (Sagittarius!). It was a delicate mix of easy and tough questions!

Everyone was a superstar, but the winning trivia team took home one of five Taylor Swift Style: Fashion Through the Eras books, generously donated by The Record. The remaining four books went to lucky individuals whose names were drawn in a raffle. We also raffled a $100 MasterCard gift card, kindly donated by Tripwire Media, to one lucky winner.

We’re so thankful to all the Swifties who joined us for Swifties Against Hunger and helped us shake off hunger in Waterloo region. Their generosity is truly sweeter than fiction.

Although the event is over, there are still plenty of ways community members can spark change like Taylor and bring happiness to those in need. You can donate $13, Taylor’s lucky number; $22, as a nod to her popular song 22; or $87, in honour of Travis Kelce’s jersey number. Donations can be made online at trellis.org/swifties-against-hunger or by texting the ‘hand heart’ emoji to 30333. Every dollar donated allows The Food Bank to provide two healthy, nutritious meals to someone in need.

You can also donate non-perishable red food items, like tomato soup or pasta sauce, as a tribute to Taylor’s Red album. Non-perishable donations keep our shelves stocked, making it possible to provide safe, healthy, and nutritious food to the 54 organizations in our Community Food Assistance Network, which supports over 73,600 people in Waterloo region. Non-perishable food items can be dropped off at any grocery store or police, fire, or paramedic station in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Thank you, Swifties, for helping us reach our wildest dreams of reducing food insecurity in our community. Together, we can ensure no one in Waterloo region experiences a blank space at their table.