Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds donate $1M to hurricane relief Karu F. Daniels, 10/11/2024 Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have stepped up with a $1 million donation to aid hurricane relief efforts through Feeding America, which will support affected communities. Their generosity comes amid widespread devastation from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, joining other celebrity contributions for recovery assistance. Food bank network Feeding America praised the Hollywood power couple for donating a hefty sum to hurricane relief efforts on Thursday.
"We thank Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for donating $1 million to our disaster relief fund for Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Their longtime support of Feeding America in times of crisis has helped our network on the ground before, during and after disasters," the nonprofit wrote on Instagram.
According to Feeding America, the funds "will help food banks provide basic needs like water, ready-to-eat food and supplies to communities facing heartbreaking loss and a long recovery."
Earlier in the week, it was announced that Lively's bestie Taylor Swift donated $5 million to the organization's relief fund, while Tom Brady, who most recently played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said he'd be donating $100,000 "to fellow Floridians in need."
Millions of people in the southeastern U.S. are recovering from the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene over the past few weeks.
Just 13 days after Helene touched down in Florida as a Category 4 storm, Milton made landfall near Siesta Key on Wednesday as a Category 3. During a meeting on the response Friday, President Biden estimated Milton's damages to be around $50 billion.
Milton has since claimed the lives of at least 17 people, while Helene is considered the deadliest storm to hit the mainland U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Hundreds have died, with a large portion of the rising death toll being recorded in North Carolina. Many lives were also lost in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Thousands more remain missing across those states.
Last week, Dolly Parton announced her personal donation of $1 million to the Mountain Ways Foundation, which is dedicated to giving immediate assistance to Helene flood victims.
The music icon's business ventures, including Dollywood Parks & Resorts and The Dollywood Foundation, also announced they would match her donation with another $1 million.
