MacKenzie Scott’s multibillion dollar gift to nonprofits across the nation, including seven in San Antonio, all started because of a 19-year-old in Chicago. The woman wanted to help those in her neighborhood who’d lost a job during the pandemic and raised $7,000 after texting her friends about getting involved by buying supplies for those in need. Scott, the former spouse of Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, heard about the effort and was inspired to act, she wrote in a post for
Medium. Over four months, she gave $4.2 billion to 384 high-performing charities nationwide, including more than $60 million that came to San Antonio. “MacKenzie’s gift will keep us from going into debt and from having to get loans for our projects,” says Michael Guerra, chief resource officer for the San Antonio Food Bank. Each of the donations were unrestricted, meaning there are no strings attached.