Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Are Donating $1 Million to Aid Los Angeles Wildfire Recovery: 'Everything Helps'

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are donating to Los Angeles-area wildfire relief in a big way.

On Friday, Feb. 21, the couple announced they are giving $1 million to five different organizations to help aid in recovery, weeks after the devastating blazes ripped through several neighborhoods throughout Southern California.

"Hey Friends," wrote Hanks and Wilson in their announcement. "Like so may of us, we see the loss and devastation wrought by the Altadena and Palisades fires. The challenges to the future of these communities is immense."

The pair went on to express their gratitude "for the First Responders and Firefighters, from all over, who fought with all they had in order to save homes and people."

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"Now we must all move forward to what is next for our city, communities, and neighbors," Wilson and Hanks continued. "We are donating $1 million between the following organizations to help support those in need and those who aided."

They then listed the organizations — the Motion Picture and Television Fund, the Los Angeles Fire Foundation, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Disaster Relief Fund, the American Red Cross and MusiCares — along with tagging their respective Instagram accounts.

"If you can, please join us in donating. Everything helps, right?" they added, concluding by signing off, "Rita Wilson & Tom Hanks."

Fast-growing wildfires throughout Los Angeles, fanned by severe winds and fed by dry vegetation, started on Jan. 7, and soon sent tens of thousands of residents — including celebrities — scrambling for safety from the encroaching flames and plumes of smoke.

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The largest were the Eaton and Palisades Fires, although a number of smaller blazes continued to erupt throughout the month. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, there have been at least 29 deaths attributed to the fires.

On Jan. 31, the California Department of Forestry Protection (CAL FIRE) confirmed that the Palisades and Eaton wildfires — which devastated neighborhoods across Los Angeles County, including Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Pasadena and Altadena — have officially been fully contained.

Chet Hanks, the 34-year-old son of Hanks and Wilson, previously shared a devastating update with his Instagram followers regarding his hometown on Jan. 7, when the fires began,

“The neighborhood I grew up in is burning to the ground rn,” Chet wrote in a text post on his Instagram Stories at the time.

“Pray for the Palisades,” he added, along with a prayer-hands emoji.

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