Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw have contributed $1 million to help with the humanitarian situation caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The couple, who are well-known philanthropists who have given millions to a number of charities over the years, made the donation through Hearthland Foundation, a nonprofit they co-founded in 2020. It comes on the heels of a $1 million commitment to the L.A. Education Recovery Fund, which was established to fund education and enrichment programmes for students affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly those in public schools and from low-income families.

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Spielberg and Capshaw will distribute the monies to five groups in Ukraine: the Polish Red Cross, Polish Humanitarian Action, World Central Kitchen, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and Urgent Action Fund.

The Polish Red Cross, a branch of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, issued an emergency plea to assist displaced Ukrainians, some of whom have fled to Poland. The organisation has been providing refuge, basic aid goods, and medical supplies to individuals who have fled. According to Polish Humanitarian Action, “the situation is very dynamic,” as it watches growing needs and strives to provide food and other forms of assistance to refugees.

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José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen swiftly mobilised after the invasion, organising #ChefsForUkraine to assist transport food, including hot meals, to five countries. According to its website, the organisation now has a kitchen and food supply depot on the Polish side of the border, with operational stores in Lviv from which trucks are dispatched to towns such as Odessa and Mykolaiv.

HIAS has been defending refugees forced to escape their native countries for more than a century. Finally, the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights is a feminist organisation that “protects, strengthens and sustains women and transgender human rights defenders at critical moments.” 

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Concerning Ukraine, the organisation is concentrating on emergency evacuations and relocations, legal, financial, and medical assistance, security and disaster survival training, and shelter and communication supplies.