Forbes- Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen
Yellow Tail wine and Rachael Ray came together this week to announce $2 million in donations to Australian bushfire relief. Peter Deutsch, CEO of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, the U.S. importer of Yellow Tail wines, revealed the donations during an appearance on Ray’s show.
“I think we can all agree that it’s absolutely heartbreaking, the devastation in Australia because of the wildfires,” Ray said. “The fires have been burning for four months. They’ve killed two dozen people and over one billion animals, and that does not include insects and amphibians. Homes and habitats have been destroyed. And it will take years, maybe decades, and workers from all over the world to help Australia rebuild.“
“Yellow Tail wine is made by the Casella family in a small town in New South Wales, Australia and therefore the devastation caused by the bushfires is very close to our hearts,” said Deutsch during a visit to the Rachael Ray Show. “As an Australian brand, it is important for us to give back to a country that has done so much for us. Thankfully there has been no impact to the Yellow Tail winery or vineyards, but we want to help the people, animals and habitats that have been affected by this natural disaster.”
Yellow Tail pledged to donate $1 million dollars to help Australia recover from the wildfires. The donation will be split evenly between the WWF Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund to rebuild habitats and help recovering animals, and Jose Andres World Central Kitchen which has a team on the ground in Australia serving meals to first responders and families displaced by the wildfires.
Rachael Ray Foundation will be splitting its $1 million donation between three organizations: the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), José Andrés World Central Kitchen and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Yellow Tail and Ray join a high-profile group of people who have donated to recovery efforts, including Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kylie Jenner, Serena Williams, Celeste Barber, and the rock band Metallica.
Wildfires burning since September in the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria have consumed approximately 16 million acres, an area that is double the size of Belgium. To put these fires into perspective they have destroyed eight times as much land as the 2018 fires in California. Countless homes and wildlife habitats have been destroyed. To date, 25 people have died due to the fires and over a billion animals have lost their lives.
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