Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw have donated $1 million to support the humanitarian crisis that has emerged as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The couple, noted philanthropists who have pledged millions over the years to a variety of causes, committed the funds through Hearthland Foundation, the nonprofit they co-founded in 2020. It follows an earlier $1 million donation that jump-started the L.A. Education Recovery Fund to help support education and enrichment programs for children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those in public schools and from low-income households.
For Ukraine, Spielberg and Capshaw will disperse the funds across five organizations: Polish Red Cross, Polish Humanitarian Action, World Central Kitchen, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Urgent Action Fund.
The Polish Red Cross, a division of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, sent out an emergency appeal to help support displaced Ukraine residents, some of whom have fled to Poland. The org has been assisting those who fled with shelter, basic aid items and medical supplies. “The situation is very dynamic,” reports Polish Humanitarian Action, as it monitors emerging needs and seeks to provide food and other forms of support to refugees, per its website.
World Central Kitchen, founded by José Andrés, mobilized quickly after the invasion by launching #ChefsForUkraine to help distribute food, including hot meals, to five countries. The org now operates a kitchen and food supply depot on the Polish side of the border with active shops set up in Lviv, where trucks are reaching cities like Odessa and Mykolaiv, per its website.
(Excerpt) Read more in: The Hollywood Reporter