Actor Sandra Bullock has been called America’s Sweetheart for years now. After reading this, I bet you’ll agree she is more than worthy of that title. She has a secret life of philanthropy in addition to her on-screen talents.

The Humane Society of Ventura County

In November 2018, amid the aftermath of the destructive California fires, Bullock made headlines when she donated $100,000 dollars to The Humane Society of Ventura County, California. In a statement on their website, the HSVC tells us that they were ‘deeply humbled’ by the donation because it will “help the HSVC provide 24/7 care for the scores of horses, bulls, donkeys, pigs, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats and other pets evacuated from the fires.” This same statement also tells us that ‘Sandra Bullock and her family have reached out to other nonprofit organizations both during this incident and in the past.’ While the $100,000 made headlines, the smaller donations were not widely publicized. (1)

California Fires

Once again in November 2018, Bullock donated the whopping sum of $400,000 to the Red Cross. Speaking about her donation in a statement to the Red Cross, Bullock said, ‘The untold destruction from these fires is heartbreaking, especially following the tragedy at Borderline in Thousand Oaks,’ referring to the shooting that claimed 12 lives at a bar in California just days before the fires caused mass evacuations. She continued by saying “I’m glad to be able to help. We’re all family in this, whether it be human, furry or feathered.” (2)

Haitian Earthquake

In January 2010, Sandra Bullock joined a few other celebrities in donating money to help the victims of the devastating earthquake that ravaged Haiti. She donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders’ emergency operation in Port-au-Prince to help to rebuild the impoverished country. (3)

Indonesian Tsunami

After the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, Sandra Bullock once again pulled out her checkbook and wrote a donation to the tune of $1,000,000 to the Red Cross to aid humanitarian relief efforts there. (4)

Hurricane Katrina

In 2005, following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Bullock once again made a sizeable donation of $1,000,000 to the American Red Cross to help with the relief efforts. (4)

Warren Easton Charter High School

Sandra Bullock’s humanitarian efforts don’t only extend to donating money to disaster relief. She also ‘adopted’ a school named Warren Easton Charter High School after Hurricane Katrina and donated $25,000 to completely rebuild the school. She also took a proactive role in helping to open their health clinic and worked with the school to ensure they had a 100% graduation rate in 2011. (5)

Japanese Tsunami

Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Bullock donated $1,000,000 to the Red Cross to help aid relief efforts in the wake of the terrible disaster. “This contribution is vitally important as the Red Cross works to provide critical assistance and essential relief items in this time of urgent need for so many people in Japan,” the relief organization said. (6)

Hurricane Harvey

After Hurricane Harvey, Sandra Bullock once again wasted no time in helping out those affected. She promptly donated $1,000,000 to the American Red Cross in an effort to help those affected by the devastating flooding throughout the Texas gulf coast. She suggested that disasters like this one should bring all Americans together, united in one goal. “There are no politics in eight feet of water,’ she told People. “There are human beings in eight feet of water.” (7)

“This is an incredible gift. We’re so thankful. It’s times like this when we do receive such an incredible amount of support. Especially during times of disaster, people see what’s happening in Texas and our hearts all go out to them,” Elizabeth Penniman, Vice President of Communications for American Red Cross national headquarters, told People. “Having someone like Sandra Bullock make this kind of commitment. It helps bring people together and open their hearts and be even more generous.” (7)

Demonstrating the extent of the star’s humility, when asked about the donation, she commented “I’m just grateful I can do it. We all have to do our part.” She encouraged everyone to do what they could in this crisis and set a very good example for us all. (7)

While Sandra Bullock has already donated a huge amount of cash to humanitarian efforts, it’s unlikely that she’ll be stopping any time soon. She truly is an inspiration and reminds us that we are all in this together. We should do what we can to help one another.