The Weeknd may have a hit song on the radio where he calls himself “heartless,” but nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to his dedication and passion for his hometown of Scarborough, Ontario. The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) just gave a huge shot in the arm to the Scarborough Health Network by way of donating much -needed funds for COVID-19 relief. We’re not talking peanuts here; more like a whopping $500,000.“I was raised in Scarborough,” he said in
a press release, “and felt it was important to give back to the community that raised me during the hard times of this pandemic.” The half a million smackers will go to frontline hospital workers and COVID-19 emergency relief.[video_embed id='1969616']RELATED: The Weeknd just made a big donation to Black Lives Matter causes[/video_embed]Elizabeth Buller, president and CEO of the Scarborough Health Network, said, “This gift will help our community hospitals continue to deliver exceptional care for the people of Scarborough in the wake of COVID-19, and demonstrates to our courageous staff and physicians that their critical work does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.”The Scarborough Health Network’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund was established “to support frontline staff and doctors by addressing urgent and changing equipment needs.” So The Weeknd’s donation will go to providing valuable coronavirus-fighting equipment like ventilators, ICU beds, vital signs and ECG monitors, as well as personal protective equipment (PPE), health and wellness supports for frontline workers, among other necessary tools.This isn’t the first time The Weeknd has shown his philanthropic side. On top of his official merch shop donating 100 per cent of net proceeds from
his XO face mask to COVID-19 charities, Tesfaye, along with Toronto’s very own Drake, have partnered recently to make
large donations to Black Lives Matter groups.[video_embed id='1984962']BEFORE YOU GO: Child welcomes her dad home in the most adorable way[/video_embed]
