With families in need, Jennifer Garner is doing what she can to help.
On Monday, the actress appeared on the “Today” show, speaking from Kentucky where she is on the ground aiding families in the wake of devastating floods.
Describing the conditions for those affected by the floods, the Save the Children ambassador said, “They need everything. There’s nothing they don’t need. They need basic necessities. They need water. They need somewhere to live. They need schools to be up and running. These kids need to go to school.”
Garner was in the middle of shooting a new movie when she dropped everything to help ease the situation in eastern Kentucky.
“I grew up in a middle-class family,” she said. “My mom had grown up very, very poor, my dad grew up poorer, and the fact that the two of them were able to go to college was so life-changing. So when I was in a position to be invited into people’s homes it was rural America that really pulled me in.
Talking about the relief efforts, Garner said, “One of the things we do when there’s disaster relief, we set up child safe spaces and those are for kids to play. It’s therapeutic for kids to play. They play when they feel safe. It gives parents a chance to talk to their insurance people or do what they need to do to start to knit their lives back together.”
She added, “These are people who believe in taking care of each other. It’s the way that I was raised. I was raised as a member of the community, not as just myself and my family. It’s one of the luckiest things about my life.”
Also on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden flew to Kentucky to survey the damage left behind by the floods, which killed at least 37 people.