When the COVID-19 pandemic started months ago, there was little hope and things were grim. However, each day we are given inspiration as celebrities and organizations are helping us through this difficult time. Many celebrities are taking time to donate and raise money for different organizations, hospitals, families and projects. Meanwhile, certain restaurant chains are donating much-needed food to frontline workers and families in need. It is inspiring to see our communities coming together to assist everyone in need during this unprecedented time.
Celebrities all over the world are using their platforms to help raise awareness and money for the coronavirus pandemic.
Ariana Grande tweeted about the various organizations she is helping such as The Bail Project, Fund for Families and The Mental Health Fund. She is encouraging her fans to discover and check out these organizations and to help them during this crucial time.
Famous singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus has partnered with Genies and donated 20,000 masks to native communities all over, helping alleviate the spread of the virus and giving back to people that may need care.
Many singers like Shawn Mendes, Billy Joel, and Elton John have created their own foundations and donated thousands of dollars to help sick children in hospitals. They have donated masks and protection equipment to health care workers and helped to provide more testing and treatment centers.
“Cardi B has teamed up with Fashion Nova to give out $1,000 every hour for 42 days until they reach one million dollars. It is amazing to see influencers and celebrities take the time to give back to people who have been impacted by COVID-19,” Anita Amiti (’20) said.
NBA star Bismack Biyombo has shown his compassion by donating over one million dollars-worth of medical supplies to Congo, his home country, and humanitarian Oprah Winfrey donated ten million dollars to coronavirus relief efforts, according to Glamour.
On April 9, McDonald’s donated $3.1 million of food to U.S communities affected by COVID-19. This donation has helped many families in need and started a trend for restaurants to donate food to families and frontline workers.
To recognize our amazing nurses during this struggle, Subway and Postmates decided to donate sub sandwiches to health care workers in the U.S working tirelessly against the virus. They also donated 15 million meals to Feeding America to help families who are financially struggling during this pandemic, according to fastcasual.com.
In addition, Chipotle, a crowd-favorite Mexican chain, launched a buy-one, give-one program in which a burrito was given to a healthcare worker for each burrito order named “4HEROES” to show support.
“I had recently heard about the program Chipotle was doing and thought it was a great way to give back, so that day I went to Chipotle and bought a 4HEROES burrito so that one [would] be donated to a health-care worker working the on the front-lines of [the] COVID-19 [pandemic]. It is a small gesture, but I feel like I’m doing my part,” Harrison Lindvall (’20) said.
These are just a few of the ways that people have contributed during this arduous and scary time. It is important that we all unite and work together to show our support for both the families affected by COVID-19 and the frontline workers and other men and women who are risking their lives during this pandemic. It is inspiring to see our communities joining together to help fight back and we should all be appreciative and thankful for their tireless efforts.
