Angelina Jolie donates $1M to combat child hunger amid coronavirus pandemic

Angelina Jolie is making a big donation to help children impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Academy Award-winning actress gave $1 million to No Kid Hungry to help fund the charity’s efforts to provide free meals to children from low-income families during school closures.

“As of this week, over a billion children are out of school worldwide because of closures linked to coronavirus,” said Jolie, a mom of six. “Many children depend on the care and nutrition they receive during school hours, including nearly 22 million children in America who rely on food support. No Kid Hungry is making resolute efforts to reach as many of those children as possible.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 09: Angelina Jolie attends the European premiere of "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" at Odeon IMAX Waterloo on October 09, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Angelina Jolie, at the London premiere of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in October, has donated $1 million to the U.S. charity No Kid Hungry amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

No Kid Hungry has already given $2 million to 78 organizations across 30 states amid the pandemic toward emergency grants to school districts, food banks and community organizations feeding kids nationwide. (In five states — Colorado, Hawaii, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — parents/caregivers seeking meals for children can text the word “FOOD” (or “COMIDA”) to 877-877 to find local emergency food distribution sites.)

Jolie — who has long done humanitarian work on behalf of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and holds the title of special envoy — also made a separate, undisclosed donation to the United Nations Refugee Agency in an effort to support education for the most vulnerable kids and families affected by coronavirus internationally. She is also working with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to establish a Global COVID-19 Education Coalition to help children around the globe continue their education during the pandemic.

Celebrities have been opening up their checkbooks as the coronavirus spreads across the U.S. Following in the footsteps of big donors Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Ciara and Russell Wilson, this week Kylie Jenner donated $1 million to aid frontline coronavirus healthcare workers, James Taylor and his wife gave $1 million to help a Boston hospital and Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged $1 million to Frontline Responders Fund.

For the latest news on the evolving coronavirus outbreak, follow along here. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHO’s resource guides.

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