Actress Angelina Jolie has donated $1 million as an effort to feed underprivileged children whose access to school lunches has been cut off due to closures amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

She has given $1 million to the charity No Kid Hungry, which says it has so far spread $2 million across 30 states to feed low-income children and their families, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"As of this week, over a billion children are out of school worldwide because of closures linked to coronavirus," said Jolie, 44.

"Many children depend on the care and nutrition they receive during school hours, including nearly 22 million children in America who rely on food support. No Kid Hungry is making resolute efforts to reach as many of those children as possible," added the actress, known for her philanthropy.

She has worked extensively with the United Nations and co-wrote a Time essay promoting UNESCO's new Global Education Coalition, which seeks to facilitate remote education as schools close around the world.

In 2006 the star and her former husband Brad Pitt started their own charity named after their eldest son Maddox, 18, and focused on his native Cambodia. The organisation keeps 10 schools running in Cambodia. Jolie separately funds girls' schools in Afghanistan and Kenya.

Jolie is not the only celebrity to throw her support behind No Kid Hungry as Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams started a fundraiser for them last week.