Drew Barrymore knows how to give from the heart… or at least from the bottom of her bank account.
If you watched yesterday’s “Oprah Winfrey Show” then you know what I’m referring to. The 33-year-old actress shocked Oprah and the entire studio audience (not to mention a few million people watching at home) when she whipped out a check and announced that she was donating $1 million to the World Food Programme to help feed children in Africa.
“I have seen with my own eyes what a difference a simple cup of nutritious porridge can make in a child’s life,” the actress said. “It helps them learn, stay healthy and sets them on track for a bright future.”
Barrymore told Oprah fans that she has worked with the charity since 2005. Since then the actress was promoted to Ambassador Against Hunger last year and has taken two trips to Kenya to see the organization’s work first hand.
World Food Programme executives say they will use Barrymore’s massive donation to feed 10 million hungry school children in Africa by Thanksgiving Day.
The “Charlie’s Angels” star said she hoped that her donation would inspire others to give big as well.
I know a few big spenders Barrymore could target.
Let’s start with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. According to Forbes magazine’s new list of the World’s Billionaires, he is ranked 785th with a net worth of $1.5 billion.
According to the magazine, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates hold the number one and number three spots respectively. Each has fortunes valued at around $60 billion. No. 2 on Forbes’ list is Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu with an estimate worth of $61 billion. However, according to the publication, Zuckerberg is the youngest self-made man ever to make its list.
For the record, this year’s World’s Richest Woman, with $22.9 billion and a 17 ranking on the list, is France’s Liliane Bettencourt, 85. Her father was the founder of L’Oréal.