She said she amped up her charitable donations because of the "wrecking ball" effect of the coronavirus, which she noted has also "substantially increased the wealth of billionaires."
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, Mackenzie Scott, wrote in a blog post that she donated $4.2 billion to charity in the last four months in an effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the wealthiest people in the world following her divorce from Bezos last year, Scott said she amped up her charitable donations because of the "wrecking ball" effect of the coronavirus, which she noted has also "substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.” That increase in billionaires she referred to also included herself, as she's a major shareholder in Amazon, which has seen a 67% jump in shares this year as more people shopped online due to the pandemic, according to CBS News.
Among the charities Scott donated to include more than 40 Feeding America food banks, ranging from the Central California Food Bank to the Vermont Foodbank, CBS reported. She also gave money to more than 40 Goodwill affiliates, including Goodwill Hawaii and Goodwill of the Heartland, as well as 30 member programs of Meals on Wheels, such as Meals on Wheels South Florida and Meals on Wheels Atlanta. Scott also donated to educational institutions including City University of New York's Lehman College and Morgan State University in Baltimore, CBS wrote.
"We shared each of our gift decisions with program leaders for the first time over the phone, and welcomed them to spend the funding on whatever they believe best serves their efforts," Scott wrote. "The responses from people who took the calls often included personal stories and tears."
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