Meghan Markle helped prepare lunch for more than 300 homeless residents of Los Angeles on Thanksgiving.
According to a statement on Markle and Prince Harry’s Archewell Foundation website, their non-profit organization teamed up with Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) ahead of the Thursday holiday to pack lunches for the shelter’s residents.
DWC provides resources to “decrease barriers and end homelessness for all women,” including female veterans, women with severe physical and mental health concerns and survivors of domestic violence, the post read.
A snap posted alongside the message featured Markle slicing pumpkin pie and putting the pieces in to-go containers. She was dressed casually in a sweatshirt and baseball cap, She also wore a mask and an apron while working alongside another volunteer to prepare the desserts.
After the Thanksgiving event, Markle also teamed up with the accessories brand Cuyana for a Giving Tuesday event in collaboration with the U.K. charity Smart Works, of which the duchess is a patron. The brand announced that it donated 500 totes to the organization, which aims to help women who are seeking employment.
“Ahead of Giving Tuesday, Cuyana is partnering with UK-based charity Smart Works and their Patron, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex for a women’s empowerment initiative,” Cuyana said in a statement via Instagram. “Cuyana is proud to be donating 500 of their Classic Structured Totes to the charity, which exists to inspire and empower women who need help getting into work.”
Markle addressed the donation in a statement shared via the brand’s Instagram Story Monday.
“Smart Works invests in women so they know they can thrive in any workplace and Cuyana is a company that is by women and for women, so this feels like the perfect fit,” the duchess said.
The brand noted that Smart Works has nine centers across the U.K. and has supported 25,000 women since its founding in 2013.
Markle and Prince Harry are believed to have spent this year’s Thanksgiving at their Montecito, California, mansion just like their previous two holidays in the U.S.
Last year, the Duchess of Sussex shared their holiday plans when she appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“I love to cook,” the former actress said at the time. “We’ll be home and just sort of relax and settle in. It’s our second Thanksgiving at home in California. It’ll be nice, it’ll be really nice.”
Markle also recounted moving to their new home during the lockdown in 2020. According to the duchess, they were able to spend a lot of time at home and were “just happy.”
“I think it’s just the lifestyle and the weather is pretty great,” she added.
For their first Thanksgiving in their California home in 2020, months after they stepped back from royal duties and left the U.K., the couple and their son Archie enjoyed dinner with her mom, Doria Ragland.
“They are going to have a quiet dinner at home and are looking forward to celebrating their first American Thanksgiving in the States as a family,” an unnamed source close to the Sussexes told Elle at the time. “They plan to enjoy a home-cooked meal with traditional Thanksgiving dishes, including recipes made with fresh vegetables from their garden.”