Brad Pitt Shows Love to the Show-Me State, Donates $500k to Joplin Tornado Relief

Brad Pitt is showing the Show-Me State a little love, right when it needs it most. The actor and wife Angelina Jolie are donating $500,000 to long-term rebuilding efforts for tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri. The money was donated to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks on behalf of the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

Pitt grew up in Springfield, Missouri, and his family still lives in the area. His mother, Jane Hillhouse (who currently lives in Springfield) was raised in Joplin, attending both high school and college there, so the family ties to Southwest Missouri run deep.

“With the devastating loss of 30 percent of the city, the Joplin community faces great challenges ahead. Having spent much of my childhood there, I know these people to be hardworking, humble and especially resilient," Pitt told local TV station KSPR.

"The locally based Community Foundation of the Ozarks will be working shoulder to shoulder with these Joplin residents for the long haul as they rebuild their lives. We, too, hope to further help with these rebuilding efforts," Pitt said.

Pitt apparently expressed a desire to help immediately after the disaster.

“We had a call in the first day or two afterward from an organization representing them,” Brian Fogle, president of the CFO told the Joplin Globe. “They made several subsequent calls, but we learned that they made a donation (Thursday).”

As a graduate of the same high school Brad Pitt attended (Kickapoo High School - Go Chiefs!), I'm happy to see he's stepping up to the plate and showing some love to his roots when it's sorely needed. Pitt and Jolie have shown a consistent philanthropic streak globally and nationally, and were very active in supporting the rebuilding of New Orleans, so it's nice to give back to Pitt's hometown region as well.

In case you haven't seen just how bad the Joplin tornado was, see some pics below. The twister cut a six mile swath through town, killing at least 151 people and displacing thousands.

While I'm sure you don't have $500k worth of Pitt-Jolie money lying around, the Salvation Army has made it easy to contribute to relief efforts. Simply text the word "Joplin" to 80888 to make a $10 donation.