DiCaprio, others launch $12 million coronavirus relief food fund

FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2016 file photo, actor Leonardo DiCaprio arrives at the Vanity Fair Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has donated $1 million to the newly established United Way Harvey Recovery Fund which will go toward relief and recovery for several years. United Way Worldwide said Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, that the national fund will distribute 100 percent of donations to recovery efforts for those affected by Hurricane Harvey. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr./ Associated Press Entertainment Writer April 2, 2020 2 min read

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Leonardo DiCaprio will help launch America’s Food Fund, which has already raised $12 million to help communities impacted by the coronavirus.

The organization said Thursday that the funds will be aimed to help low-income families, the elderly, individuals facing job disruptions and children who rely on school lunch programs.

The food fund will work with hunger relief organizations World Central Kitchen and Feeding America.

DiCaprio serves as a co-founder of America’s Food Fund with philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs. Apple and the Ford Foundation are also providing money to help launch the new initiative.

“In the face of this crisis, organizations like World Central Kitchen and Feeding America have inspired us all with their unwavering commitment to feed the most vulnerable people in need,” DiCaprio said in a statement. “I thank them for their tireless work on the frontlines, they deserve all of our support.”