What to know
- ARMY fans are running a virtual food drive in every North American tour city.
- Each city’s goal is to raise $777, representing BTS’ seven members.
- Toronto’s proceeds go to the North York Harvest Centre, near the concert venue.
- The fundraiser continues BTS’ tradition of supporting social causes and community giving.
With BTS set to return to stages across North America, ARMY members are launching a food drive for every concert stop — including in Toronto this week.
Toronto resident Ceri Young, also known as Muse in the BTS fandom, has connected with other ARMY members in a Discord chat and has joined forces for a fundraiser to address food insecurity ahead of the K-Pop group’s two-night stop in the city this week.
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About the fundraiser
Channeling the group’s mantra in supporting one another, Young told Now Toronto that someone in that group chat suggested giving back to the community by hosting a food drive in every U.S. city.
As a Toronto local, she decided to move the initiative across the border, launching it in Canada ahead of the group’s Rogers Stadium shows on Aug. 22 and 23.
The proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward the North York Harvest Centre, which is in proximity to the concert venue.
“It’s something that we can give back in cities all across the tour… I think food insecurity, especially now, is incredibly prevalent,” Young said.
So, the goal is to fundraise $777 per city. Why? For all seven members of BTS.
How BTS inspired the fundraiser
‘I found a lot of friends and love in the fandom. Once you have that much love and you’re surrounded by it, you want to give it to other people,” Young said.
Young has also participated in a variety of other fundraisers with the ARMY, including fundraising for a hospital in Seoul to establish an autism centre, among others.
This fundraiser continues BTS’ message of loving yourself and each other, she says, as she gives back to the community.
“We want to be giving back to those cities, and we want to be giving back to the people there. As BTS tells us to love ourselves, we want to spread that joy around, and we want to help people,” she said.
She’s spreading awareness through K-pop cards and her fundraiser.
