Prince Harry and Meghan Markle volunteered in a Los Angeles bakery and café on Tuesday alongside former gang members.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex volunteered as part of the newly launched #FeedHope programme, which provides meals to people in need amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehab & re-entry program in the world, aims to transform the lives of men and women who were previously incarcerated or members of a gang.
In a post shared on Instagram, staff said they were “thrilled” to work alongside the royals.
They wrote: “Thank you to Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for visiting and standing in kinship with our Café and Bakery teams yesterday.”
“Our staff was thrilled to work alongside them as they helped prepare food and learned more about our newly launched #FeedHOPE program, which employs our program participants to provide meals to food-insecure seniors and youth across Los Angeles in the wake of the #COVID19 pandemic.”
Manager Mariana Enriquez said: “It was remarkable to share our Feed Hope program with Harry and Meghan today.”
“They are both down to earth and kind. The staff was honored they took the time to see us, hear us and walk on our journey today. We will never forget it.”
In a statement, founder Father Greg Boyle revealed the royals were very hardworking.
He said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were just ‘Harry and Meghan’ to the homies. They rolled up their sleeves and deeply engaged with our workers in the Bakery and Café. It was immediate kinship and heartening in its mutuality.”
Father Greg Boyle works closely with Immaculate Heart High School, which Meghan attended during her school years growing up in California.
Meanwhile, a representative for Harry and Meghan said the couple “connect deeply” with the organisation’s mission, and feel it’s “a perfect example of how empathy, kindness, and compassion can change the world.”
The news comes after the Duke and Duchess were spotted volunteering for a local charity in LA back in April.Â
The couple moved from Canada to Meghan’s hometown of Los Angeles in March, and are currently living in Tyler Perry’s $18m mansion in Beverley Hills with their son Archie.
On this week’s episode of #GossChats – Ali Ryan chats to Aoife Walsh.
The former Miss Ireland opens up about postponing her wedding, being apart from her fiancé, and the lessons she has learned during lockdown.
#GossChats is sponsored by top Irish aesthetic clinic Haus of JeJuve.
