Meghan Markle Rolls up Her Sleeves to Help in Community Kitchen During Thanksgiving Week

Meghan Markle has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, and although she is in the U.K. she’s celebrating by giving back as much as she can.

Markle visited the the Al Manaar Community Center on Wednesday, according to a report by PEOPLE, where the survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy were staying. The Duchess of Sussex rolled up her sleeves, put on an apron and helped the community kitchen prepare a meal.

Markle has been vocal in support of the Al Manaar Community Center’s kitchen efforts before. She even hosted her first event as a royal for its benefit back in September. She also helped create a special cookbook with the center, Together: Our Community Cookbook, which has now sold over 40,000 copies in the United Kingdom, and raised aboout $270,000.

On Wednesday Markle did more than raise funds. She got her hands dirty alongside the community leaders there. She was greeted by the center’s Abdurahman Sayed and Hubb Kitchen’s Zaheera Zufyaan. She toured the completely re-fitted kitchen and got the rundown on how they prepare 200 meals a day, seven days a week for homeless shelters, women’s refuges and elderly people — including the survivors from the deadly Grenfell Tower fire.

Last summer, a 24-story tall residential building in London’s North Kensington neighborhood burned. 72 people died in the blaze, which burned for three days and three nights. People in surrounding buildings were evacuated as well, and some were displaced.

Thanks to Markle, the Al Manaar Community Center was able to help those people, and many others. As she learned on Wednesday, some women from the center have also been able to launch their own charitable projects from the center, including a support group for domestic violence survivors. There is also an initiative that creates healthy food to children, and another that delivers fresh meals to maternity wards.

“It starts from one idea and from this one idea starts so much,” Markle reportedly said to the women. “I’m so proud of you. It hasn’t been a year yet. From that standpoint, what you have achieved in that short space of time — it’s really exciting.”

Markle helped prepare some bulk meals while she was on the scene, and Sufyaan told reporters that she really bonded with the staff.

“She’s down to earth and she’s come and supported the project. She’s part of the group,” Sufyaan said.

“The women are very inspired, they have their own cuisines and recipes and everything’s brought together and made this project,” Sufyaan added later.

While she showed her charitable side on Wednesday, many are now wondering how Markle will spend her first Thanksgiving as a member of the royal family. She and Prince Harry have no obligations on Thursday, and some are speculating that she will host a version of her American holiday within Kensington Palace.