Apple, Oprah, Leonardo DiCaprio and More Launch Coronavirus Relief Food Fund with $12M Donation

Leonardo Dicaprio Americas Food Fund Apple Credit: Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock
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Apple joined the Ford Foundation and a handful of celebrities in launching America’s Food Fund, reports Deadline. To date, the initiative has received $12 million in funding that will be used to support those facing food insecurity during the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. Other celebrities involved in this fundraiser include Leonardo DiCaprio, Laurene Powell Jobs, and Oprah Winfrey.

“No one can be well if they’re not well fed, and we can only overcome this crisis if we make sure that every person has the essentials that they need to care for themselves, their families and the vulnerable people in their lives. World Central Kitchen and Feeding America do heroic work, and if there is any lesson in this time that we must spend apart, it’s that we are stronger and more resilient when we support one another.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Oprah Winfrey discussed America’s Food Fund earlier this week on Oprah Talks COVID-19, a new, free Apple + series. Oprah talked about the launch with Chef José Andrés of World Central Kitchen (WCK) and Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, who were guests-on the episode.

Rather than distributing the money itself, America’s Food Fund will provide funding to World Central Kitchen (WCK) and Feeding America. This money will help low-income families, senior citizens, children who used school lunch programs, and individuals who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus epidemic.

Feeding America is one of the nation’s largest hunger-relief organizations. It oversees 200 food banks and 60,000 meal programs across the U.S. It serves more than 40 million Americans annually, and that number is expected to skyrocket because of the coronavirus.

World Central Kitchen operates beyond American borders, providing meals to those in need following a man-made or natural disaster. The organization entered the COVID-19 crisis by providing food to quarantined cruise ship passengers and personnel. It now is distributing food to both medical professionals on the frontlines of the outbreak, and those communities hit the hardest by this pandemic.

Apple has been leading the way when it comes to its humanitarian response to the worldwide spread of COVID-19. As soon as the virus spread, the company shut down offices, ordering staff to work from home if possible.

The company also closed its retail stores while paying its employees to stay at home. The company has made significant donations to Italy and Silicon Valley, both financially and in medical supplies.

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