Scotty McCreery raised $5,000 at his Beacon Theatre Benefit for Hurricane Sandy Relief concert, which took place at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York City on November 23.

McCreery donated a portion of ticket sales for the event to disaster relief following the terrible storm that took place in New York and New Jersey earlier this month.

McCreery said his own experiences with storms like this is what got him to take action. McCreery revealed:

“Being from North Carolina, I have seen firsthand what hurricanes can do. After seeing the devastation caused by Sandy, I wanted to figure out a way I could help… I thought, ‘why not turn that New York show into a benefit?’”

Joining Scotty that night was New York native and Scotty’s fellow Idol alum, Pia Toscano. She said:

“New York is my hometown and it has been difficult to watch what has happened there to my friends and family. So when Scotty asked me to be a part of his Beacon Theatre benefit performance, I jumped at the chance.”

Written by Michelle Wincott