After a magnitude-6.3 quake rocked the Abruzzo region of Italy on Monday, the mayor of the hamlet of Pacentro asked the world to send help – and Madonna answered his call.
"Thank you for informing me today that (the) mayor of Pacentro, Italy made a plea to madonna for her to help earthquake victims.. help is on its way," Madonna's manager, Guy Oseary, wrote on his Twitter page on Tuesday. "It was the twitter nation that informed us today of the mayors plea… madonna is making a donation."
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According to People, Madonna – whose paternal grandparents lived in Pacentro until 1919 – has made a "substantial donation" to help with the relief effort, her rep told the mag.
"I am happy to lend a helping hand to the town that my ancestors are from," Madonna said in a statement released to the mag. "My heart goes out to the families that have lost loved ones or their homes."
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Madonna's rep would not disclose the amount she donated, but according to a People source, it's around $500,000.
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The death toll from the quake has now reached 260.
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