Tyler Perry Donates $1.4 Million to Local Food Banks

This month millions of Americans will not receive their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP] benefits because of the ongoing government shutdown.

In response to the emergency media mogul Tyler Perry has donated $1.4 million to local Atlanta food banks...

From People 

Tyler Perry is jumping in to help those facing food insecurity amid the ongoing government shutdown.

As Americans are set to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the filmmaker, 56, has donated nearly $1.4 million to organizations that support families most impacted. Those include Atlanta Community Food Bank, Baby2Baby, Meals on Wheels Atlanta, Caring for Others, All for Lunch, Ron Clark Academy and Goodr.

“If you’ve never been poor then you may not fully understand the life changing impact SNAP benefits mean to hard-working people, to our seniors and to our children,” the Madea director and star tells PEOPLE exclusively in a statement. “For millions of people, it could mean extreme hunger. For newborns, it could mean a lack of access to formula.”

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program program "provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being," as The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated in an Oct. 18 letter.

The USDA announcement included the news that approximately 42 million Americans could lose their SNAP benefits as they project there will not be enough federal funding to cover the entirety of November.

Perry, who has spoken publicly about his childhood trauma and homelessness, calls the loss of vital food assistance programs “heartbreaking” in his statement. “Compassion is not political, it’s humanity and we seem to be missing both right now.”