The entire world has been impacted by the coronavirus and over the past couple of weeks celebrities have been giving back to organizations and their communities. In the past weeks, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have pledged $1 million dollars to food donation organizations, fashion designer Donatella Versace has donated over 200 thousand euros to hospitals in Italy, and ‘Real Housewives’ star Bethany Frankel is planning on donating one million face masks. Here are how celebrities have shown acts of kindness this week.
Oprah Winfrey
This week Oprah Winfrey publicly stated that she would be contributing a large sum towards people impacted by the coronavirus. On Thursday Winfrey shared, “I am donating $10 million overall to help Americans during this pandemic in cities across the country and in areas where I grew up.” Winfrey who over the course of her life has continuously been involved with philanthropy also shared that $1 million of those dollars who be donated to the America Food Fund to help families dealing with hunger and food insecurity.
Taylor Swift
Over the past month, Taylor Swift has donated financial relief to Tennessee after they were tragically hit with a severe tornado. The star is continuing to give back to her hometown of Nashville by supporting local businesses. Most recently, Swift has donated money to Grimey’s New & Preloved Music record store which has had to close its doors due to the pandemic. While speaking with Rolling Stone, store owner David Doyle shared, “Taylor generously offered some direct relief to my staff and to cover three months of our health care costs for our group-insurance plan. It’s a huge deal to us, and now I have some peace of mind as we apply for loans to pay rent, vendors, and other expenses. This assistance from Ms. Swift helps give us a real shot at coming back on the other side of this.”
Reese Witherspoon
Producer and actress Reese Witherspoon’s lifestyle and fashion brand ‘Draper James’ announced that they would be giving away over 250 dresses to teachers. Witherspoon shared, “during quarantine, teachers are broadcasting lessons from their own homes and figuring out new remote-learning technology and platforms on the fly, all while continuing to educate and connect with our kids. Advocating for the children is no easy task, so I wanted to show teachers a little extra love right now.” Teachers can enter to win a dress through a Google form on their website, and while there is limited stock for this giveaway, teachers are also being given a promo code for a 25% off discount for the store.