Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt made the first public appearance since he checked out from the hospital, where he was treated for viral meningitis.

The blond actor came at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association luncheon in Beverly Hills, California, to accept a $250,000 check on behalf of the Film Foundation Inc.

More than $1 million in financial grants was issued to film schools and non-profit organizations. Among the stars who attended the event, were Kevin Bacon, Jesse Bradford, Peter Falk, America Ferrera, Sally Field, Emmy Rossum and Ziyi Zhang.

On July 11, Pitt, 41, was rushed to the Cedars Sinai Medical Center for what appeared to be a bad case of flu, a week after returning from a trip to East Africa.

The actor was diagnosed with "a mild case of viral meningitis," but was released from the hospital after two days, his publicist Cindy Guagenti said.

Brad Pitt has recently visited Ethiopia, where he joined his assumed girlfriend, Angelina Jolie and her 3-year old son Maddox, to pick up the actress' newly adopted baby girl, Zahara. Nevertheless, his publicist didn't want to comment if Brad contracted the disease while being in Africa.