counter hit make

Entertainment, tech companies donate millions to LA wildfire relief effort

0 14

Evacuees from the Eaton fire look through boxes of clothes at a donation center in Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California, Jan. 13, 2025.

Etienne Laurent | AFP | Getty Images

As Los Angeles continues to battle wildfires that have destroyed parts of the city and killed at least 24 people, companies are pledging millions in donations to aid in relief efforts.

On Monday, Netflix and Comcast each announced a $10 million donation, split between groups such as the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, World Central Kitchen and the American Red Cross. Both companies also said they are assisting employees directly affected by the fires.

“The next few years will be a rebuilding time for many of us and it will require creativity, vision, grit and perseverance. Looking around at some of the hardest hit neighborhoods, it is hard to imagine rebuilding — but we will, and we will come back stronger than before,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos wrote.

Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which, because of its studios, has a big footprint in Los Angeles.

“We extend our deep appreciation to the first responders for their tireless and courageous efforts,” Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said in the announcement.

Firefighters work as smoke rises above the growing Palisades fire in Los Angeles, Jan. 11, 2025.

Ali Matin | AFP | Getty Images

Other media and entertainment corporations, many of which have a prominent presence in the Los Angeles area, had previously pledged to donate to relief efforts. The Walt Disney Company announced Saturday that it is committing $15 million to fire response and rebuilding. Fox News reported that its parent company, Fox Corporation, donated $1 million to the American Red Cross.

Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement to CNBC that it was committing $15 million to response and rebuilding efforts and that it was paying for impacted employees’ living expenses.

Gambling platform FanDuel and its parent company, Flutter Entertainment, donated $250,000 to disaster relief organization Americares and the LA Fire Department Foundation, they announced.

The NFL — which relocated a playoff game from SoFi Stadium, in a suburb of Los Angeles, to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, due to the fires — said its teams and ownership groups were providing a collective $5 million to relief efforts. Twelve Los Angeles sports teams, including the Lakers and the Dodgers, separately announced a donation of over $8 million to fire relief groups.

Grocers Kroger and Walmart, meanwhile, pledged $1 million and $2.5 million, respectively, toward relief efforts. Tyson Foods said it would deploy its “Meals That Matter” disaster relief team this week to distribute hot meals and water to residents impacted by the wildfires. Restaurant chain Raising Cane’s announced a $250,000 donation to the American Red Cross.

Health insurer Anthem Blue Cross announced a $10 million donation to disaster response efforts.

Amazon announced Monday that it was donating $10 million to fire relief through its entertainment division, home security manufacturer Ring and Whole Foods Market. The e-commerce giant added that it had also contributed supplies to response groups and deployed cloud technology to assist emergency personnel.

Meta said Wednesday that it was donating $2 million in cash and advertising credits to relief organizations and that CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla, were donating an additional $2 million. Google and YouTube announced a $15 million contribution to relief efforts on Wednesday and said they will offer production facilities to creators and artists who were affected by the fires.

Reuters reported Monday that JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America are also providing some payment relief to mortgage customers affected by the wildfires.

Patrick O’Neal sifts through the remains of his home after it was destroyed by the Palisades wildfire, in Malibu, California, Jan. 13, 2025.

Brandon Bell | Getty Images

Hollywood stars and entertainment figures have also said they are financially supporting fire relief.

Actor Jamie Lee Curtis, a Los Angeles resident, announced on Instagram that her family pledged $1 million to relief funds, while singer Beyoncé’s BeyGood Foundation committed $2.5 million to its own fire relief fund. Socialite Paris Hilton said she would launch an emergency fund to assist displaced families and committed $200,000 to it, while actor Halle Berry said she donated clothes to victims of the fires.

Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.