Jennifer Garner helps Kentucky flood victims, ‘it’s the way that I was raised’

Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner traveled to Kentucky to provide emergency relief after catastrophic flooding in the region due to rains at the end of July.

On Monday, 50-year-old Garner, who is also a trustee and ambassador of Save the Children, appeared on the Today show and described the devastating situation after the flood, in which at least 37 people died.

The Yes Day actress, “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.”

Explaining her passion to help the victims, Garner, who was busy shooting her new film before arriving in Kentucky, said, “I grew up in a middle-class family.”

“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,” she added.

She also said, “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.”