Making a difference. Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Ben Affleck, Mark Cuban and more celebs have shown their generosity amid the global coronavirus outbreak — and encouraged fans to do the same.
The Argo actor dedicated a thoughtful Instagram post to “our most vulnerable populations” on March 15 as communities began to be impacted by school closings and grocery shortages during the panic.
“During these times of uncertainty, I’m thinking about our most vulnerable populations — children who are losing access to the meals they rely on, our friends and family who are facing job disruptions, the elderly, and low-income families,” Affleck wrote. “Join me in supporting @FeedingAmerica, the nationwide network of 200 food banks working tirelessly to feed our neighbors around the country.”
The next day, Reynolds and Lively echoed the Good Will Hunting actor and issued a similar call to action to their followers.
“I think we can all agree, COVID-19 is an a–hole,” the Proposal star tweeted. “Blake & I are donating $1 million to be split between Feeding America and Food Banks Canada. If you can give, these orgs need our help.”
The Gossip Girl alum penned a statement of her own the same day, hoping to help people find peace through the hectic time. “Though we must be distancing ourselves to protect those who don’t have the opportunity to self-quarantine, we can stay connected. Remember the lonely and isolated. Facetime, Skype, make a video. Remember the love that can travel through all this,” she wrote.
As the world continues to work through the coronavirus outbreak, concerts, sports leagues and festivals have all been put on hold. Several prominent athletes and team owners have come together to help those in their communities who are drastically impacted by season suspensions.
Cuban, who owns the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, told reporters after the league called off the rest of the current basketball season that he was dedicated to making sure part-time employees would still have some source of income during this uncertain time.
“I reached out to folks at the arena and folks at the Mavs to find out what it would cost to financially support people who aren’t going to be able to come to work,” he said, according to ESPN. “We’ve already started the process of having a program in place … It’s certainly something that’s important to me.”
Scroll down to see how more celebrities are giving back amid the coronavirus outbreak.