On the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, Meghan Markle honored the survivors who now volunteer at the Hubb Community Kitchen in London.
The Evening Standard reported on Sunday, June 14, that the Duchess of Sussex, 38, recorded an audio message for the women after making several trips to their kitchen in recent years and video-chatting with them in April. (She also collaborated with the volunteers on Together: Our Community Cookbook, which was released in 2018 to raise money for charity.)
“I think back to when I met all of you and how you had all come together in the wake of what you experienced in your community,” Meghan said, according to the newspaper. “And now what you have done is such an inspiration. You continue to give back, you continue to to put love in action. And that’s really what Hubb is all about. … We know it means love, but you are the example of love in action, and that is your purpose.”
The Suits alum went on to say that she and Prince Harry are “so proud of” the volunteers, adding, “We are sending so much love to you from across the pond and thinking of you today, as I’m sure it’s a difficult day, but also one where you can look at how much you’ve accomplished in the past three years and how you continue to give back and be an example for all of those around you.”
In the early hours of June 14, 2017, a fire broke out in the 24-story residential tower in the North Kensington area of West London, killing 72 people and injuring more than 70 others. The massive blaze, which was caused by an electrical fault in a refrigerator on the fourth floor, took 24 hours to get under control and more than 60 hours to be fully extinguished.
After being displaced by the fire, several women who had lived in the building went on to launch the Hubb Community Kitchen. They needed a place to cook food for their families, so they started using the kitchen at Al-Manaar, The Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, and supported their neighbors in a time of need.
“Thank you, ladies, for the leadership and inspiration that your cooking and love of community brings to all those around you,” Meghan and Harry, 35, wrote to the volunteers via their Sussex Royal Instagram account in December 2019. “We remain so very proud of the good work that you continue to do.”
