Sarah Michelle Gellar has always joked that she needs her acting career to support her philanthropic habit, because she can't afford to set up her own foundation.
While kids of the nineties and the noughties will remember the actress as the face of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for her roles in teen flicks Cruel Intentions and the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise, nowadays Sarah Michelle can relish in the fact that she can dedicate so much of her time on charity work.
The Hollywood star supports various charities and is a particularly hands-on advocate. Sarah Michelle loves it when she can actively get involved – whether that's building a house for Habitat for Humanity or delivering meals to vulnerable people via Project Angel Food. Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she also granted sick children's wishes of meeting her while working on Buffy.
"We talk to our children all the time, and I always say, 'I don't care if they're the smartest in the class, I don't care if they're the fastest, I care that they're kind'" – Sarah Michelle Gellar
One of her latest projects has seen Sarah Michelle team up with car company Subaru, which has pledged to provide 100 million meals to Feeding America in a bid to close the gap in America's food inequality amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kindness is at the heart of her household too. Sarah Michelle shares two children with her husband Freddie Prinze Jr. and raising them to be kind – over being smart or sporty – is of utmost importance.
"We talk to our children all the time, and I always say, 'I don't care if they're the smartest in the class, I don't care if they're the fastest, I care that they're kind,'" Sarah Michelle told HELLO! "And that is a word that we use a lot in our house, is to be thoughtful of the people around you and take that into consideration. And that to me has always been the most important value in our household.
"I think I'm extremely fortunate in that I've been surrounded by people who inspire me, that give back so flawlessly and effortlessly that I always feel like I'm not doing enough. I think life is about who you choose to surround yourself with."
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