Photo credit: Rachael Ray Show
Our girl Rach announced today that she is donating a total of $4 million to Covid-19 relief through her two charities, The Rachael Ray Foundation and Rachael Ray's Yum-o! Organization.
And we couldn't be prouder.
The donations will help fund critically needed food and services delivered through a network of national, regional and local geographically distributed organizations around the country.
Yum-o!'s $2 million donations are being made to Feeding America, Share Our Strength, World Central Kitchen, The National Restaurant Association, City Harvest, Hunger Free America, Wholesome Wave and ReThink Food.
The $2 million animal welfare donations are being made to the North Shore Animal League, Best Friends Animal Society, Austin Pets Alive, Big Dog Ranch, San Antonio Pets Alive and Lost Our Home Rescue.
An additional donation will be managed and distributed by Best Friends Animal Society in amounts between $25,000 and $50,000 to regional and local organizations based on need and capabilities.
"My overall goal with these donations is to support American families affected during the Covid-19 crisis with assistance for two-legged and four-legged family members," Rach says.
"We felt it was important to help offset the decline in donations organizations have experienced, from a combination of the cancelation of fundraising events and reduced private donations."
"The donations are being made through my two charities," she continues.
The first of those charities is The Rachael Ray Foundation, which is a private foundation that is fully funded by the proceeds from the sale of Rachael Ray Nutrish — whose goal is to simply support causes that are helping animals in need.
The second is Yum-o!, which through its three core work areas of Cook, Feed and Fund, educates kids and their families about food and cooking (school food initiatives); teams up with partner organizations to feed hungry children; and funds educational opportunities for kids who are interested in pursuing careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry.
"We have been at this for a decade, and I never wanted to ask people to donate to the philanthropies I personally care about," Rach says, "so we have always directed portions of the proceeds from the sale of many of our products — from pet food to pots and pans — to charitable giving."
We love you, Rach. ?