OTTAWA -- Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are the latest celebrities to make a donation to the Ottawa Food Bank during the coronavirus crisis.
"Blake and I are so happy to give back to a country that's given us so much," Reynolds said in a statement posted to the food bank's Instagram page.
"I used to live in Ottawa (in Vanier). It holds a special place in my heart. So happy to donate to your amazing food bank."
The A-list actors have pledged $1 million to food drive organizations on both sides of the border: Feeding America and Food Banks Canada.
Ottawa Food Bank Executive Director Michael Maidment said the donation was a pleasant surprise.
"He liked a tweet that we had sent out, and a few minutes later we noticed that he had made a donation and sent us a nice email saying that he was really a fan of our work and wanted to support us," Maidment told CTV News Ottawa.
"We were pretty excited."
Maidment said along with the financial imapct, a donation from a Hollywood star with a local connection gives the entire food bank a boost, including its staff.
"The first thing that we did was share it with our team, just to give them a boost and give them a little bit of encouragement," he said.
Reynolds, a Vancouver native, has also pitched in to help hockey great Hayley Wickenheiser's campaign to collect personal protective equipment for frontline medical workers.
Reynolds and Lively are just the latest major celebrities to donate to the Ottawa Food Bank.
Hip-hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan pledged a donation during a campaign spearheaded by Shopify's chief operating officer Harley Finkelstein. That campaign raised $170,000 in just 24 hours.
