Blazing temperatures in the 90s in Los Angeles on July 28 didn't stop volunteers from participating in the inaugural The Day That Music Cares, a day of service for music professionals and fans alike.
From musicians to publicists to artist managers, 50 volunteers from across all areas of the music industry donated their time to work morning and afternoon shifts on an assembly line at Los Angeles Regional Food Bank making, labeling and filling boxes with non-perishable food items including granola bars, peanut butter, chunk white chicken, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce and black beans. By day's end, volunteers had packed 1,762 boxes to be distributed to individuals who are in need.
"It's super important work," Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Volunteer Engagement & Outreach Coordinator Billy Tettemer says. "I can't think of something as important as feeding people who really need it."
Tettemer explains that the boxes of food are sent to both drive-thru and walk-up distribution sites where individuals who are in need can show up and obtain a kit. For individuals, like the elderly, who are unable to get to the distribution sites themselves, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank partners with groups including DoorDash that deliver the kits directly to people's homes.
Laura Segura, Executive Director of MusiCares, who was on-hand volunteering, says the desire to have a day of service had been circulating around various branches of the Recording Academy for several years, with the aftermath of the pandemic prompting the call to action.
"After the pandemic, we, at MusiCares, started thinking about how we could encourage the community to reconnect in new ways and how we could start to heal after everything we've been through as an industry," she continues. "And this idea came to life again, this idea of service and doing something to bring the community together in a new way, so across the whole family of GRAMMY organizations, we all agreed to put our energy behind starting a day of service for the music industry."
As to the overall mission of The Day That Music Cares, Segura says it's twofold. "First and foremost, the goal is to inspire music people and the people who love music to connect with their communities and the causes that they care about, and to remind us of the depth of the power of music," she says. "The second goal would be the huge impact that's possible by all the good that people are going to choose to do today."
BMG publicist Leo Lavoro — who was in Los Angeles from New York to work with notable artists including Bryan Adams and Slipknot's Corey Taylor — took time out of his busy schedule to spend the afternoon volunteering. A new member of the Recording Academy, Lavoro says there was nowhere he'd rather be than contributing his time and energy to such a worthwhile cause. "As my first step forward with the Recording Academy, what better way to celebrate than by giving back to those who need it most," he says.
Sam Yun, a record producer and guitarist who has toured with the likes of Demi Lovato, Alessia Cara and John Mayer, also notes the significance of a national day of service. "It's important because it brings everyone together for a good cause," he says.
A native Angeleno, Yun says he's especially keen to help those who need food after growing up in Koreatown, where he spent a lot of time around those who were struggling financially. "I know how difficult it can be to provide food for your family," he says.
Read More: 4 Reasons Why You Should Consider Becoming A Living Kidney Donor
Moving forward, The Day That Music Cares will be held annually in April to coincide with National Volunteer month. Segura asserts that next year's day of service will be even bigger.
"It will expand a lot once we can spread the word in a bigger way," she says. "This first time was very grassroots. It was friends of friends and family and everyone telling one another that this is something passionate that everyone wanted to participate in."
Next year, we will have proof points of how special this can really be. We can do much more concerted outreach across the entirety of the music industry," Segura continues. "We can get more artists involved and they can tell their fans, because we'll be able to demonstrate what we did just on this first launch."
What's more, Segura says any act of service suffices, whether it's sweeping a neighbor's driveway or volunteering at an animal shelter.
"It's really just to encourage anyone who works in music or who loves music to take an act of service on the day that music cares," she explains. "It's about finding which cause sparks your heart and then taking some time out of your day to go and do something that helps that call."