Apple and Emerson Collective donate $12 million to new America's Food Fund

The America's Food Fund is an effort from Emerson Collective, Apple, and the Ford Foundation to provide funding to beneficiaries like World Central Kitchen and Feeding America. This is a response to the rapid growth in unemployment and loss of financial stability in homes across the world as the coronavirus pandemic escalates.

Expansion of the undertaking has launched from a Go Fund Me page.

"In neighborhoods and communities around the country, hunger is an issue that people, including families and children, face every day," says the initiative's page. "Our most vulnerable populations — children who are out of school and rely on school lunch programs, low-income families, the elderly, and individuals facing job disruptions — face great barriers to receiving safe and consistent access to meals."

The site goes on to say that "more than 37 million people struggled to know where their next meal might come from on a daily basis, a number that we are seeing rise at an exponential rate."

The World Central Kitchen and Feeding America are the first beneficiaries. The program and will add more as time goes on.

Oprah Winfrey has added to the donation with a $1 million contribution to America's Food Fund and an additional $9 million to other reputable food funds.

Tim Cook has also noted the launch of the program on Twitter.

Apple is proud to support @ChefJoseAndres's @WCKitchen and @FeedingAmerica. We can only overcome this crisis if we make sure that every person has the essentials they need to care for themselves, their families and the vulnerable people in their lives. https://t.co/Hd5iioL4bD

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 2, 2020

Apple has been donating to local funds and global organizations throughout the coronavirus epidemic. This latest fund is in addition to their previously announced $15 million in contributions to coronavirus response.

Apple has also provided donations in the way of face masks. Apple donated at least 10 million masks already and are attempting to source more for donations as they are able. The masks donated so far come from stores they had on hand after the California wild fires required keeping masks on hand in case of further emergency.

The company has a new COVID-19 info app for more information on how to protect yourself or get help.

AppleInsider has been covering the coronavirus since February as it has spread across the globe. Read up on our advice pieces about working from home, how to properly hold video conferences, and where the coronavirus can live on device surfaces.