From sending private jets to evacuate cancer patients to benefit shows, here’s how Hollywood is helping Puerto Rico.
Chance the Rapper joined the effort to send aid to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico on Wednesday, announcing that his sold-out Hollywood Bowl concert would stream on YouTube and give viewers the option to make donations live to the charity Direct Relief.
He follows in the footsteps of the music streaming service TIdal, which announced it would donate the net proceeds from its annual benefit to «natural disaster relief and recovery organizations.» (They will be divided among efforts for victims of Hurricanes Maria, Harvey, Irma and the earthquakes that hit Mexico .)
The Tidal X Brooklyn show, scheduled for Oct. 17, will feature Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, DJ Khaled, Daddy Yankee, Cardi B, Kaskade and Rapsody. It will be hosted by New York radio personality Angie Martinez with special appearances by Rosie Perez and Lin-Manuel Miranda, both native New Yorkers whose parents were born in Puerto Rico, a U. S. commonwealth whose inhabitants are all U. S. citizens.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Tidal announced the money raised by the show will go to New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Empire State Relief and Recovery Effort for Puerto Rico by «covering the cost of cargo planes desperately needed to transport donated goods (i.e., cleaning supplies, toiletries, canned food, clothing, etc.) to Puerto Rico.»
For his part, Cuomo said, “After seeing the terrible devastation in Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands firsthand, it is clear that those affected by these natural disasters need our help more than ever. We in New York are putting the full weight of our resources behind recovery efforts, and I am grateful to Tidal X Brooklyn and its sponsors for joining us and helping to deliver much-needed goods to people in desperate need. We must do everything we can to help these communities rebuild, and I encourage all New Yorkers to join us in our efforts.”
The metropolitan New York area is home to one of the largest concentrations of Puerto Ricans outside of the Caribbean and celebrates each June with the Puerto Rican Day Parade, a tradition that marked its 60th anniversary this year.
Plenty of celebrities are asking for donations and giving their own time and money to help hurricane victims.
In his op-ed in The Hollywood Reporter, Miranda made a personal plea for aid following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, arguing the U. S. territory needs it as badly as Texas or Florida. He noted that his late grandfather’s house, where he visited every summer growing up, was destroyed.
«Puerto Ricans need supplies and resources just as badly as their fellow Americans in Texas and Florida, and this need is magnified by their geographic isolation from the mainland,» he wrote.
Lopez, whose parents also were born in Puerto Rico, teamed up with ex-husband Marc Anthony and her boyfriend Alex Rodiguez to pledge $1 million to relief efforts for the island.
Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee, who had a massive hit with this summer’s Despacito, pledged $1 million to Hurricane Maria relief efforts on his native island. The money comes on top of 10 truckloads of supplies donated by fans at his concerts.
Rapper Pitbull, who comes from a Cuban family in Miami, sent his private plane to Puerto Rico to evacuate cancer patients to the U. S. to resume their chemotherapy.
Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin touched down in his hometown and unloaded supplies for hurricane victims. He has crowdfunded more than $2 million through his Ricky Martin Foundation to donate to the people of Puerto Rico.
Real Housewives of New York personality Bethenny Frankel sent several planes with supplies to Puerto Rico through her crisis intervention charity, B Strong. She tweeted that in addition to the planes and cargo sent to the islands, her organization has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars toward relief efforts.
Rihanna, whose native Barbados fared well compared to neighboring islands in the Caribbean in recent weeks month, tweeted the cover of the New York Daily News to President Trump, asking him «not to let your people die like this.»
She also praised the five living ex-presidents for taking the lead on the crisis in Puerto Rico.
«Round of APPLAUSE to these gentlemen for taking control of this devastating situation!!!» Rihanna tweeted.
In essence, she was calling out Trump for his slow response to the devastation.
Contributing: Carly Mallenbaum
