HOLLYWOOD—Hollywood sure does have heart, when it’s time to help. As the Coronavirus pandemic forces the closure of schools and businesses and the self-isolation of elderly individuals, a number of stars are making sizable donations to those in need and using their platform to encourage others to give back. Some Hollywood celebrities are coming out to the rescue.
Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Jimmy Fallon, Jennifer Garner, Justin Timberlake and Amy Adams are just a few of the people that have taken charitable initiatives. Reynolds posted Monday on Instagram that he and his wife, Lively, had donated $1 million to split between the organizations Feeding America and Food Banks Canada.
“Covid-19 has brutally impacted older adults and low income families…If you can give, these orgs need our help,” Reynolds wrote in his post. He also added links to the charitable organizations so that his followers can also donate.
“Take care of your bodies and hearts. Leave room for joy. Call someone who’s isolated and might need connection.” Lively shared a similar message on her Instagram account. After encouraging social distancing, she joked that her husband didn’t understand the practice. “Now can someone please tell Ryan that ‘social distancing’ from his mother in law is not a thing,” she wrote.
While the entertainment business is at a halt, Adams and Garner partnered to launch the initiative Save the Stories. Working with Save the Children and No Kid Hungry, both Garner and Adams will read stories on social media to raise funds for children that don’t have access to meals during the pandemic. Garner explained in the launch video that 30 million children rely on school to have meals.
“These funds will help us make sure that families know how to find meals when schools are closed, support mobile meal trucks, food banks and other community feeding programs, provide educational toys, books and worksheets and support out-of-school-time programs to help kids make up for lost time in the classroom,” the actress captioned the video.
Adams joined Instagram to promote the initiative. She opted to read “The Dinosaur Princess,” which was written by her daughter and illustrated by her husband, Darren Le Gallo, for her first book. Meanwhile, Garner chose to read “The Three Little Fish” and the “Big Bad Shark” by Ken Geist and illustrated by Julia Gorton. Reese Witherspoon also joined the initiative by posting a video of her reading “Uni the Unicorn” by Amy Krause Rosenthal and illustrated by Brigette Barrager.
Meanwhile, Timberlake announced on Twitter that he planned to donate to Mid-South Food Bank, a charitable organization in Memphis, Tennessee. The organization is part of Feeding America. “This is a crazy time, but remember we’re all in it together,” Timberlake wrote. “Start small and support your local communities by getting food out to those in need.” He has donated an undisclosed amount. Fallon shared that he had donated to Feeding America.
Fashion mogul Donatella Versace and her daughter Allegra made a donation of 200,000 euros to a hospital in Milan. “In times like this, it is important to be united and support however we can to help all those who are in the front lines, fighting every day to save hundreds of lives,” Versace wrote on Instagram.
“This is why Allegra and I have decided to make a personal donation of 200,000 euros to the intensive care department of San Raffaele hospital in Milan.” She added, “Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this disease and to all the doctors and medical staff who have been working heroically non-stop in the past weeks in the effort to take care of our loved ones.”
Rose’s Scoop: The stars just keep coming out, including “Lady Gaga’s makeup brand Haus Laboratories pledged to donate 20 percent of last week’s profits to food banks in Los Angeles and New York in order to get food to those affected by the closing of schools and other places.”
