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Toronto Charity Shares Previously Unseen Photo of Meghan Markle Volunteering

The Duchess has long been philanthropic at heart.

Date December 9, 2019

If you follow the lives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, you’ll well know how much value and emphasis the royal pair placed on philanthropy. And for Meghan, this wasn’t something that began when the eyes of the world were on her, but rather a regular part of her pre-royal life.

Each month, the Sussex’s highlight 12 charities on their Instagram page to help draw global attention to the work that they are doing. For the month of December, the pair wrote, “With the festive holiday season upon us, it’s also a reminder to reflect on those in need – those who may feel lonely, hungry, homeless, or may be experiencing the holidays for the first time without loved ones. It’s an important time of year to help those around you who may be less fortunate, or who would appreciate even the smallest act of kindness. Continuing our monthly tradition of highlighting accounts that do good, and inspired by the “Twelve Days of Christmas” – we have selected twelve organizations caring for those in need – especially at this time of year.”

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With the festive holiday season upon us, it’s also a reminder to reflect on those in need – those who may feel lonely, hungry, homeless, or may be experiencing the holidays for the first time without loved ones. It’s an important time of year to help those around you who may be less fortunate, or who would appreciate even the smallest act of kindness. Continuing our monthly tradition of highlighting accounts that do good, and inspired by the “Twelve Days of Christmas” – we have selected twelve organisations caring for those in need – especially at this time of year. There are, thankfully, so many organisations around the world doing good on global and grassroots levels, many of which are not on Instagram. Check out the accounts we have chosen and please share those in your own communities that are making a difference. We would love to hear about the ones that inspire you – so please tell us and add your country’s flag! Images used are from the accounts we are now following.

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Dec 1, 2019 at 10:09am PST

One such charity was St. Felix Centre, a Toronto-based charity working to provide support to those suffering from homelessness and mental health issues in the city. Over the weekend, the organization took to its Instagram page to thank the royal duo for highlighting their work, sharing a previously unseen image of Meghan volunteering with them at their kitchen during her Suits days.

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We feel very grateful and honoured to have been highlighted by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle, as one of 12 charities doing important work worldwide. ?? This photo has Meghan volunteering in our kitchen! ❤ . The couple said: “With the festive holiday season upon us, it’s also a reminder to reflect on those in need – those who may feel lonely, hungry, homeless, or may be experiencing the holidays for the first time without loved ones. It’s an important time of year to help those around you who may be less fortunate, or who would appreciate even the smallest act of kindness. Continuing our monthly tradition of highlighting accounts that do good, and inspired by the “Twelve Days of Christmas” – we have selected twelve organisations caring for those in need – especially at this time of year.” . Meghan Markle was an active supporter and volunteer of St. Felix Centre during her time living in the city while working on Suits. She volunteered on a regular basis in our kitchen as part of our Community Meals Program. The Duchess also donated food from the set of Suits, and on one Thanksgiving she brought in all the food, turkeys and the fixings for over 100 people. . Through our Twitter account we responded to the announcement: “Thank you! Many people here have fond memories of Duchess Meghan volunteering with us – though we remember her just as 'the lovely Meghan'. We're happy to see she continues supporting vulnerable people now as a member of the Royal Family. We'd love for her to visit us again one day.” . Thousands of people have responded to the call to visit our social media platforms, many of them urging people to make a donation to our Lighting the Way Christmas campaign. . Many vulnerable people in our Toronto need your support! If you are planning your holiday giving, please consider making a donation to our Lighting the Way campaign – link in our bio. Your support can make all the difference! . #Toronto #stfelixcentre #homeless #charity #harryandmeghan #sussexroyal #meghanmarkle #volunteer #lovetoronto #blogto #curiocitytoronto #hypetoronto #libertyvillage #queenwest #toreats #tdot #6ixgrams #torontolife #igerstoronto

A post shared by St. Felix Centre (@st.felixcentre) on Dec 7, 2019 at 8:22am PST

The picture was accompanied by a caption that read, “Meghan Markle was an active supporter and volunteer of St. Felix Centre during her time living in the city while working on Suits. She volunteered on a regular basis in our kitchen as part of our Community Meals Program. The duchess also donated food from the set of Suits, and on one Thanksgiving she brought in all the food, turkeys and the fixings for over 100 people.”

If you’re feeling inspired to help this holiday season, you can find more information on St. Felix Centre here. Plus, see our edit of gifts that give back.