This week, the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden reported that the Hubb Community Kitchen is “closing down.” Eden confidently reported that Hubb’s closure is because the Duchess of Sussex moved to America in 2020, and therefore she wasn’t around to continue supporting the kitchen. As I wrote, it doesn’t make much sense to still operate Hubb as a community kitchen nearly nine full years after the Grenfell Tower Fire. I wrote that “Hubb was always supposed to be a temporary solution to an immediate problem for Grenfell families.” Those families have been assimilated into other communities or they’ve found homes with their own family kitchens. Well, People Magazine picked up the Mail’s story and it sounds like someone (from Hubb or from Archewell) set the record straight:
The first charitable project that Meghan Markle backed as part of her royal work has reportedly ceased operations. On Feb. 16, Richard Eden of the Daily Mail reported that Hubb Community Kitchen in London had shut down.
“I can’t talk about the Duchess of Sussex, but the Hubb Community Kitchen has stopped,” a spokesperson for the community kitchen told the outlet.
PEOPLE understands that the kitchen was always intended to be a temporary, time-limited hub to support Grenfell survivors who had been displaced and were living in accommodation without cooking facilities. The project wound down because its purpose had been fulfilled: those families have since been rehoused in permanent accommodation with kitchens, meaning there is no longer a need for the facility to operate.
PEOPLE has contacted the Al Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, where the Hubb Community Kitchen was based, and a spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex for comment.
The Hubb Community Kitchen was the first charitable cause that Meghan, 44, supported solo after getting engaged to Prince Harry in 2017. The Hubb Community Kitchen was an initiative begun by women affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017, and the group would come together to cook for the community members displaced by the devastating fire in which 72 people died.
Many of you pointed out in the comments that it’s not like these community activists are going away – many Hubb volunteers started their own programs, using Hubb as a blueprint or inspiration for community-led activism. The fact that Hubb is closing down is a good thing, and this is a success story. It means that the need for an emergency community kitchen has dissipated if not vanished completely. It means that the Grenfell families have successfully found homes and that they’re finding new ways to support their community.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
-
- Meghan (C), Duchess of Sussex helps to prepare food at the launch of a cookbook with recipes from a group of women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington Palace in London on September 20, 2018.,Image: 534009034, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
-
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex helps to prepare food at the launch of a cookbook with recipes from a group of women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington Palace in London on September 20, 2018.,Image: 534009087, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
-
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex helps to prepare food at the launch of a cookbook with recipes from a group of women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington Palace in London on September 20, 2018.,Image: 534009088, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
-
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (C) arrives with her mother, Doria Ragland (L) and Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex to host an event to mark the launch of a cookbook with recipes from a group of women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington Palace in London on September 20, 2018.,Image: 534009123, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
-
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (C) arrives with her mother, Doria Ragland (L) and Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex to host an event to mark the launch of a cookbook with recipes from a group of women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington Palace in London on September 20, 2018.,Image: 534009147, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
-
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (C) and Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex gather for a family picture during the launch of a cookbook with recipes from a group of women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington Palace in London on September 20, 2018.,Image: 534009189, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
-
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex helps to prepare food at the launch of a cookbook with recipes from a group of women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington Palace in London on September 20, 2018.,Image: 534009013, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
What is the saying “ teach a person to fish and they eat forever “? Well Meg has shown them what they can do and they are doing it for themselves. Sounds like a win win to me but alas Eden doesn’t do his homework and as usual has egg on his evil face. You can’t bring Meg down!!
Eden took what should have been a “feel good” story and look at how he twisted it for KP, Willy certainly recruits men with no shame or moral character.
A great saying which will always be relevant.
I feel like the entire point of this story was to make it seem like Meghan and by product Harry, abandoned charities to live a ” Hollywood” lifestyle. Never mind the taxpayer funded royals that live in that country and should be Richard Edens concern, are patrons of organizations that seem to close all the time for lack of support.
No you’re supposed to feel some sort of way that the first initiative that Meghan had as a working royal fulfilled it’s mission, after years of success.
I don’t know if this was an effort of ” crisis management” or to muddy the waters in the months before the one year to go celebrations are literally on British soil, but it just comes across as don’t believe they actually care despite what you see or experience.
Even so, it was a stupid narrative that the twit Eden attempted to push because there is ample evidence that Meghan has kept in touch with the Hubb ladies throughout all the years since she left that island.
Even Harry said that his ultimate wish for the Invictus Games is that one day it is no longer needed.
If the Hubb kitchen still needed to be operated nearly 10 years after the Grenfell fire that would have been a huge problem. I don’t think royalists or the rota understand what charity is supposed to be. Ideally, the issue necessitating the need for a charity should be eliminated. These families weren’t just props for royal family PR. A community shouldn’t have to rely on something like the Hubb forever. The ladies used the kitchen when needed, the cookbook Meghan started helped with funding, many of the ladies started their own businesses, and others have their own homes with their own kitchens. This is a success.
It was clear that the Hubb kitchen was being wound down when Meghan arranged for another food-related charity up north (Felix Project?) to receive the future proceeds from the sales of the cookbook. KP seemingly refused to relinquish control of the incoming funds, so Meghan ensured that they would not be left in the palace’s (William’s) grubby hands. Was it that charity which was too embarrassed to admit that they had received the funds and pretty much subsequently had to be shamed into doing so, and gave a grudging thanks after people pointed out that they could have returned or refused the money?
As you and others have pointed out: the Hubb Community Kitchen had been a success, it had clearly fulfilled its mission, so was no longer needed.
I was going to post…where is the money going to go as the cookbook is still selling well.
I don’t remember ever hearing about Meghan making arrangements for another food related charity to receive the funds on an ongoing basis. But it’s good to know she was ahead of this news (likely because she is still in touch with the women, whether they are still using the Hubb or not).
The Royal Family uses charity to justify their existence so I get it’s hard for royalists to understand that the kitchen closing down is a good thing.
You just *know* that if Meghan had stayed in the UK to be a mascot for this dysfunctional family, they would be taking credit for her work, and proclaiming the closing of this space a proof of mission accomplished. But from a wider angle — the WanK factor — this is just another symptom of the way they have weaponised even charity as part of their point-scoring PR campaign. Like when Kate published her own letter to the family of Sarah Everard, which was frankly horrifying.
That is good news for Meghan. My question is what happens now to the proceeds from future sales of the cookbook?
They are going to the Felix Project. A food redistribution charity.
So the Grenfell families are no longer being “accomodated” in motels with no kitchens, but have actually found homes & don’t need a temporary group kitchen anymore. Hurray!.
Meanwhile, the Duchy of Cornwall under BillyIdle & Can’t are still getting paid for the brand new 25-year lease on Dartmoor Prison, which is closed due to deadly radon, & hundreds of staff & inmates are suing for being poisoned.
And the Duchy also went to court to get relief from having to repair mold-ridden, broken-down homes they rent out, because it would cost over 3,000 pounds to repair them, and that’s a burden on the billionaire Prince.
But let’s talk about Meghan’s project that concluded successfully, instead of the heir to the throne’s career as a slumlord!!
You can buy the cookbook on Amazon for about $10 now. I’m going to see if I can get it at our local bookstore.
Exactly as Kaiser has written: The fact that Hubb is closing down is a good thing, and this is a success story. It means that the need for an emergency community kitchen has dissipated if not vanished completely. It means that the Grenfell families have successfully found homes and that they’re finding new ways to support their community.
At the same time, by transferring the funds to the Felix Project, Meghan has ensured that the cookbook sales continue working for a food related charity. At the same time, I’m sure the project helped the women of the Hubb as well as the centre. Wonderful, impactful work. And that’s how it’s done!! Great satisfaction all around, except for the stupids, of course. I’m including the Windsors in this group, as well as the royal rota/commentators.
Well done, Meghan.