Charities controlled by billionaire ketchup heiress Teresa Heinz have pledged a relatively modest $450,000 to tsunami relief in recent days, with Mrs. Heinz explaining she prefers to keep her charitable contributions local.
Heinz Endowments announced Saturday that it would contribute $400,000 to tsunami relief, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. And the Washington, D.C.-based Heinz Family Philanthropies will add another $50,000.
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The Heinz money will go to the Brother's Brother Foundation, a local international relief group.
In a prepared statement, Mrs. Heinz explained, "Obviously, our philanthropic focus is here in America and in Pittsburgh, but the astronomical proportions of this disaster demand that we act."
While generous, the Heinz contribution doesn't come close to actress Sandra Bullock, who donated $1 million to tsunami relief. Or race-car driver Michael Schumacher, who pledged $10 million during a telethon on German television last week.
U.S. corporations have, by and large, been extraordinarily generous in the wake of the South Asian disaster. Pfizer Inc., for instance, has pledged $10 million cash and $25 million in drugs to relief agencies.
General Motors pledged over $2 million in cash and agreed to match employee donations. The company will also provide vehicles to transport medical supplies and food to the stricken region.
Heinz Foods has two factories in Indonesia and one in Thailand - countries heavily affected by the tsunami disaster.
Mrs. Heinz's husband, former presidential candidate John Kerry, has not said whether he'll make a contribution to tsunami relief.
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