Jolie-Pitt Foundation donates $500,000 to tornado-ravaged town of Joplin, MO.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are donating half a million dollars to help the people of Joplin, MO. whose lives were devastated by a deadly tornado last month.

The death toll from the May 22 twister is 151. More than 8,000 homes and 400 businesses were destroyed in the storm — approximately 30 per cent of the city.

The Jolie-Pitt Foundation donation of $500,000 to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks was announced Friday. Pitt grew up in southwest Missouri.

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“Having spent much of my childhood there, I know these people to be hardworking, humble and especially resilient,” Pitt said in a news release.

“Last year 42 million people worldwide were displaced by natural disasters. So often these disasters seem far away, but now the need is for thousands of people displaced right here at home. Our hearts go out to the families in Joplin who have lost so much,” Jolie said in the same release. 

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks said the donation will go to support mid-and long-term rebuilding efforts in Joplin.