As the music industry continues to grapple with the impacts of the pandemic, Support Act’s COVID-19 Crisis Relief grants are helping artists, crews and industry workers get back on their feet. Longtime supporters of the industry, Nando’s has pledged 15,000 meals to help feed Support Act’s grant recipients.
While tough government restrictions on large gatherings and social distancing protocols are slowly beginning to ease in some pockets of Australia, there is still a long way to go before packed out arenas and festivals are back on the cards.
With the help of a recent funding injection from the Australian Government through the Office for the Arts, leading music charity, Support Act, has dramatically increased the number of Crisis Relief grants for music professionals financially impacted by the pandemic. Since March, Support Act has provided close to $1million in crisis relief to more than 400 artists, crew and music workers across the country.
Veteran supporters of the music industry, Nando’s has chipped in over $200,000 worth of Nando’s eats by donating 15,000 meals, which will be delivered through the grant program to further support for those doing it tough.
Support Act CEO, Clive Miller, said that their COVID-19 Crisis Relief grants are providing essential support to a diverse range of talented and passionate music professionals.
“Music workers were some of the first people to be affected by the pandemic, and are likely to be the last to fully recover. Our COVID-19 Crisis Relief Grants are helping many music workers and their families keep their heads above water by covering essential costs like rent, household bills and groceries.
“We’re thrilled that Nando’s has jumped on board to provide additional support through these testing times.” Clive added.
As a big supporter of the industry, Nando’s has fuelled hundreds of touring musicians through artist catering over the years and has brought many more emerging and established artists together for its annual local and global Music Exchange workshops (MX).
Nando’s music program spokesperson, Cath Palfreyman, said that partnering with Support Act in the wake of the pandemic was a no-brainer.
“As a purpose-led business, feeding the nation during the pandemic has been really important to us. COVID-19 has unfortunately put our artist feeds and annual MX workshops on hold for now, but we wanted to keep supporting the industry. We love Support Act so we are super pleased to be working with them again, finding a new way to share the Nando’s love with artists, crew and industry workers in a field that’s so close to our hearts.
“We’re desperate to see the Aussie music scene come out the other side of this crisis, which is why we’re donating 15,000 meals to help fuel the industry. We’ll be the first in line to grab tickets to a gig once restrictions are lifted,” Cath said.
ARIA Award winning duo and PERi-PERi lovers, Peking Duk (Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles), say the effect COVID-19 has had on the Australian music and entertainment industry has been absolutely devastating. Being one of the first industries to be impacted by the lockdowns and closures and most certainly one of the last that will return to normal means the knock on effect won’t just be hurting the artists that create the music, but the many crew members and support staff that help them bring these projects to life as well.
“The work that Support Act does to provide relief to the people we work with and share an industry with has been a lifeline for many. We can’t thank Support Act enough on behalf of everyone out there who is suffering right now. We also want to thank Nando’s, a company that has been feeding bands for years now, for stepping up when it matters the most and continuing their ongoing support for the music and entertainment industry. We can’t wait to get back on stage, get back on the road and see Australia’s live music scene booming again like the absolute champion that it is.”
Alongside Nando’s partnership with Support Act, the PERi-PERi experts have fed many more communities over the course of the year. Since April, Nando’s have contributed $4.5 million worth of food to frontline Healthcare and Emergency Service workers and have generated an additional 1 million meals to Foodbank.
To find out more about Support Act’s Crisis Relief grant, please visit: www.supportact.org.au
For more information on Nando’s, head to: www.nandos.com.au
Photo Credit: Ian Laidlaw @ian.laidlaw
