METALLICA Drummer Says Response To Band's 'Day Of Service' Was 'Overwhelming'

METALLICA and its charitable foundation, All Within My Hands, launched the first official "day of service" for fans and friends on Wednesday (May 23). As part of the band's own efforts to participate, drummer Lars Ulrich presented the SF-Marin Food Bank with a check for $5,000 on Wednesday. In addition, the drummer sorted fruit to be distributed by the food bank.

The band invited fans across the U.S. to volunteer for a day at the community food banks the band supported during last summer's North American tour. Ulrich told Rolling Stone: "The response was overwhelming. We're so proud of the passion and the selflessness that our fans brought to all their local chapters around the country. All the reports that have ended up in my inbox reflect nothing but goodwill, good deeds, good vibes and good energy.

"As someone who has been a loner for most of my life, being in the METALLICA family has always given me a sense of belonging and made me feel like I was not alone. And as we all know, hard rock can sometimes, in different parts of the world, be looked down upon as a second-class member of the global music community. So we are additionally pleased that we can show everyone that hard rock and metal fans can be as compassionate and as selfless as any other people in the worldwide charitable family and the bad stigma that sometimes is hung upon them/us as somehow lesser citizens can be readdressed."

In cooperation with Feeding America, METALLICA also made contributions to its local partners in each city the band performed in during its 2017 stadium tour.

METALLICA is currently home on a four-month break before launching a North American arena tour on September 2 in Madison, Wisconsin.

The band continues to hit the road in support of its 10th studio album, 2016's "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct".