Country star Taylor Swift has shown her charitable side by donating $100,000 to the Red Cross in Iowa. The 18-year-old singer announced that she was handing over the cash to help the residents of the flood-stricken town at her concert in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday.

Cedar Rapids was devastated by the natural disaster in June, when the Cedar River burst its banks, causing millions of dollars-worth of damage.

And Swift felt obliged to help the locals after seeing the extent of the carnage first hand.

She told People.com, "The people in this town have been through so much loss this year, and my heart goes out to them.

"They've stood by me, they gave me a sold-out show. You've got to pay it forward in life, and that's what I'm doing here tonight."

But a source claims Swift almost pulled the gig altogether following the flood.

An insider says, "Taylor was going to cancel the concert, thinking few people could attend, but the mayor of Cedar Rapids asked her to carry on."

It's not the first time Swift has displayed her generosity. In January, she donated a brand new pink truck - a present from her record label to mark her 18th birthday - to a youth camp for kids with serious medical conditions.

And earlier this summer she gave her merchandise sales from the Country Music Association Music Festival to the Nashville Red Cross.

- Taylor Swift Gallery

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)