Democratic National Convention Postponed, Celebs Donate Millions To Food Banks, SheaMoisture Donates $1 Million To Black-Owned Businesses And More

The Democratic National Convention is postponed, Georgia issues a shelter-in-place order, #SheaMoisture donates $1 million to Black-owned businesses and more.

Baller Alert is back to give you all the updates on the coronavirus pandemic. There are currently 1,074,253 cases in the world, 56,987 coronavirus-related deaths, and 226,054 people have recovered from the virus. The nation has still been advised to practice social distancing, and many cities, like Los Angeles, have told residents to always wear a mask when going outside. In the meantime, celebs and companies are pitching to make this time as easy as it can be. 

Speaking of celebs, tons of them are have doing their part to help communities. Haircare and beauty brand SheaMoisture and its parent company Sundial Brands have announced a $1 million relief fund to help and support women of color entrepreneurs and Black-owned businesses affected by COVID-19. “During this unprecedented time of upheaval, small businesses are being disproportionately affected. For SheaMoisture, which was once a small business, the power of community and entrepreneurship is close to our hearts. Through this fund, we are committed to giving back to the communities that have helped us become who we are,” said Cara Sabin, CEO of Sundial Brands in a statement.

In addition, #JeffBezos and #OprahWinfrey have donated millions to food funds. Bezos donated $100 million to Feeding America and Winfrey gave $1 million to America’s Food Fund. “Even in ordinary times, food insecurity in American households is an important problem, and unfortunately, COVID-19 is amplifying that stress significantly. Millions of Americans are turning to food banks during this time,” said Bezos in a statement. #LeonardoDiCaprio, #LaurenePowellJobs and Apple, and the Ford Foundation collaborated to launch America’s Food Fund with $12 million. Also helping with the hunger crisis amid the pandemic is the state of New York, which will now offer three free meals a day starting Friday. According to Daily News, residents will have access to hundreds of sites around the city. Families and children can pick meals up between 7:30 and 11:30 a.m., and adults can grab a meal between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Those who are in need can find a site by texting “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877.

And while we’re all sitting in the house, why not pick up a new skill for free? Nikon will be offering ten free online photography classes through April 30th. The courses normally run between $15 and $50. Each class will feature a professional photographer as the teacher who will give students through lessons about the art of taking photos. If interested, you can visit Nikon’s official website. 

New amendments to social distancing have been made for Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp has announced a shelter-in-place order for the state, which will start Friday, April 3 at 6 p.m. and will end Monday, April 13, at 11:59 p.m. In a video posted to Facebook, Kemp addressed the new policy. “Building on the previous order and directives we have issued, this order is a common sense, measured step forward to stop the spread of COVID-19. This order maintains social distancing directives and requires residents and visitors to our state to shelter in place in their homes or place of residence.”

The Democratic National Convention, which summons members of the democratic party together to nominate and confirm a candidate for president and vice president, will be postponed until August 17 due to the outbreak. The event was originally set for mid-July. “In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how this situation unfolds so we can best position our party for a safe and successful convention. During this critical time, when the scope and scale of the pandemic and its impact remain unknown, we will continue to monitor the situation and follow the advice of health care professionals and emergency responders,’ read a statement from Joe Solmonese, CEO of the convention.