Amazon is donating $10 million to Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts, the company revealed in a blog post on Monday.
The funds, which come from Amazon Web Services, Ring, Whole Foods Market, and the tech giant’s entertainment division, which includes Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video, and Amazon Music, will go directly to national and local disaster and response organizations, including the American Red Cross of Southern California, FireAid, MusiCares Fire Relief Effort, World Central Kitchen, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, Habitat for Los Angeles Wildfire Fund, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Small Business Relief/Recovery Fund, among others.
It will also be used for in-kind advertising opportunities on Prime Video for non-profits supporting LA fire relief efforts.
The tech giant’s $10 million commitment comes as it has already donated over 145,000 essential items to date to 17 local organizations working on wildfire response, including fire stations, community fire brigades, the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Los Angeles Unified School District, Dream Center, and multiple YMCA chapters. It will also deploy its Amazon Web Services cloud technology, including drone support, to help emergency responders better understand and react to the evolving wildfire situation.
Additionally, Amazon is leveraging its recently opened Wildfire Relief Hub—located two hours east of LA and stocked with over 6,000 essential items—as well as its logistics infrastructure and technology, to deliver essential items to the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Dream Center, International Medical Corps, World Central Kitchen and more organizations based on their needs.
Due to the temporary closing of some Amazon facilities in the region, the company said it would use its national network of storage and delivery to fulfill customers orders once safe to do so from outside the affected area and will adjust delivery estimates accordingly. Customers are encouraged to contact its 24/7 customer service teams for additional assistance.
In addition to Amazon, Netflix and NBCUniversal parent Comcast have each donated $10 million support those impacted during the crisis, while Disney has donated $15 million and Paramount Global has donated $1 million. Other organizations who have made donations include Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD Foundation, The Recording Academy and MusiCares, in addition to some notable celebrities themselves.
