Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are giving back in Los Angeles! On Tuesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Homeboy Industries, a community social justice organization working to improve the lives of formerly incarcerated and previously gang-involved people in L.A.
The organization provides counseling, education, legal assistance, addiction recovery support, tattoo removal, job training, and direct opportunities for employment through its 10 social enterprises. During their visit, Meghan and Harry got to experience two of those enterprises, Homeboy Bakery and Homegirl Café.
While there, Meghan and Harry joined the Homies working in the café and bakery for a session of cooking and conversation. Together they prepared food for the #FeedHOPE program, which employs Homeboy participants to provide meals to food-insecure seniors and youth across L.A. in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meghan has been in contact with Father Greg Boyle, who runs the organization, since her days in high school. In fact, she and her mother, Doria Ragland, joined him for a cooking workshop 20 years ago. Meghan even remembers the tamale recipe she learned there to this day. Recently, Meghan and Harry have been speaking to Greg about the racial justice movement.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were just ‘Harry and Meghan’ to the homies,” Greg said of the couple’s visit. “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.”
Café manager Mariana added that Meghan and Harry were “down to earth and kind” during their “remarkable” visit.
“The staff was honored they took the time to see us, hear us and walk on our journey today,” she said. “We will never forget it.”
Homeboy Industries shared photos of Meghan and Harry’s visit on Instagram, which featured the Duke and Duchess working in the kitchen while sporting masks.
Earlier this month, a source told 360aproko that Meghan and Harry’s relationship is “stronger than ever,” and noted that they used their time in quarantine to be thoughtful and strategic about the type of work and projects they want to be involved in moving forward.
