MacKenzie Scott donates millions to charities in Florida

MacKenzie Scott, a philanthropist and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, has gifted almost $4.2 billion to charities throughout the country, including organizations in South Florida.

Scott wrote in her blog this week that this latest round of donations was motivated to ease suffering caused by the COVID19 pandemic. The result: $4,158,500,000 in gifts to 384 organizations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington D.C.

In South Florida, the list includes: Meals on Wheels South Florida in Plantation; United Way of Broward County; United Way of Miami-Dade; United Way of Palm Beach County; the YWCA South Florida and Easterseals South Florida.

Some are filling basic needs, Scott wrote, such as scores of food banks, Meals on Wheels and Goodwill agencies around the country.

“Others are addressing long-term systemic inequities that have been deepened by the crisis: debt relief, employment training, credit and financial services for under-resourced communities, education for historically marginalized and underserved people, civil rights advocacy groups, and legal defense funds that take on institutional discrimination,” she wrote.

Scott became the world’s wealthiest woman when she and Bezos divorced in 2019 and pledged to give much of her wealth “back to society.”

Her post does not specify the dollar amounts attached to each charity, and many were mum, although United Way of Palm Beach County made their $10 million gift public, and Easterseals South Florida said its gift is $6 million.

For Meals on Wheels, which serves South Florida, the donation received Tuesday is “six figures,” said Mark Adler, the executive director.

It was the largest donation “by far” in the group’s 35-year history in South Florida, he said.

“At first I didn’t believe it was real,” he said. “I pinched myself a few times. We were blown away. We’re still reeling from it.”

The agency delivers meals to seniors and provides food for children in the summertime. More than 90% of the seniors are considered living below the poverty line.

“It’s going to help thousands and thousands of people in South Florida,” he said. “We have a waiting list. This donation can go a long way in getting people off the waiting list to get home-delivered meals.”

This week’s donation is also the single largest donation for United Way of Broward County, said Kathleen Cannon, president and CEO, although the dollar amount won’t be announced until January once the agency decides how they’ll spend it.

But, it will certainly go to “folks who are struggling.” Some of it will go to programs underway because of the pandemic such as food programs, emergency financial assistance, and microloans to minority businesses. United Way in Broward will “continue those needed services, be a safety net for this COVID crisis,” Cannon said.

They’ll also look into spending the money for “long-term transformational efforts,” which could include tackling affordable housing, suicide prevention, overdoses and homelessness to “amplify” programs.

“It will be amazing, we have great thoughts and great plans,” Cannon said, with a goal of “sustainable change ... long-lasting change, not Band-Aiding the situation.”

TRIBUNE CONTENTAGENCY MacKenzie Scott, whose donations within the last four months benefited South Florida charities, is the ex-wife of Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos. When they divorced in 2019, she became the world’s wealthiest woman.