Meghan Markle Lends a Hand to Teen Girls Affected by Eaton Fire with Donations: ‘Having Her Support Is Unreal’

Meghan Markle made a low-key visit to a new relief group working to restore a sense of normalcy for teenagers affected by the Eaton Fire, one in the series of wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area.

PEOPLE understands that the Duchess of Sussex lent her support to the Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery group on Jan. 13, an organization she and Prince Harry have contributed to through their Archewell Foundation.

The Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery organization was launched by 14-year-old Avery Colvert from Pasadena last week to gather beauty products, haircare items, clothes and other personal supplies for teen girls displaced or affected by the Eaton Fire, the Los Angeles Times reports. The blaze that began on Jan. 7 is over 14,000 acres in size and was 45% contained as of Jan. 15, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

She arrived with new clothing, beauty products and lunch for the volunteers. Meghan directly engaged with families as they visited, helping the girls with shopping, sharing conversations and providing much-needed support throughout the visit.

The Duchess of Sussex was spotted in a reel that the group shared to Instagram on Jan. 15, which showed volunteers at work in a warehouse full of products. It rolled to show footage of Meghan having a chat with someone one-on-one, where she wore a black Los Angeles baseball cap and held two full tote bags on her arms.

“And thank you to everyone who showed up on Monday, which was such a special day! We love you!” Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery captioned the clip on Instagram.

The footage, which was captured by the charity’s organizers, offered a peek into Meghan’s efforts on the ground, and followed her outing with Prince Harry to Pasadena Convention Center on Jan. 10. There, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex helped distribute food and supplies to victims of the Eaton Fire, where they arrived without fanfare to directly lend a hand.

Prince Harry and Meghan take a discreet approach to their site visits, prioritizing meaningful. Contrary to some reports, the Duke and Duchess do not bring videographers or photographers along, instead focusing on directly supporting communities and the ongoing relief efforts.

The Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery Group revealed that the Archewell Foundation contributed to its mission in a Jan. 14 Instagram, sharing “special thanks” to Harry and Meghan’s charity.

“We are official! We can now accept donations directly to our organization and make sure that all of these funds get RIGHT to the community where it’s needed! So many of you have set up your own Venmos and stuff to gather money for us and we are so grateful. A special thanks to The Archewell Foundation for your support!” the message said.

In the comments section, the account holder wrote back to an Instagram user who made a supportive comment about Meghan’s visit.

“Even just meeting her is life-changing! Having her support is unreal,” a representative from the relief group said.

Colvert launched the relief group with the help of her stepfather, Matt Chait, taking on the specific mission of helping her peers affected by the Eaton Fire feel like themselves again. 

“I started this to help girls affected specifically by the Eaton Canyon fire who lost their homes feel like themselves — and feel confident again,” she told the L.A. Times. “They’ve lost everything, and I want them to feel a sense of normalcy when nothing else in their life is normal.”

The group gained traction on social media (which Meghan recently rejoined with a namesake Instagram page) and the hub’s first day of shopping for those in need was Monday.

The Duchess of Sussex was born and raised in Los Angeles, and she and Prince Harry live further north of L.A. in the Santa Barbara enclave of Montecito with their kids, Prince Archie, 5 and Princess Lilibet, 3. 

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PEOPLE confirmed on Jan. 10 that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex opened their home to friends and loved ones forced to evacuate, and the couple traveled south to volunteer in Pasadena that day. 

On Jan. 12, the Duchess of Sussex announced she was postponing the release of her new Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, due to the devastation caused by the wildfires. The lifestyle series was set to premiere on Jan. 15, and she pushed it back to March 4 with Netflix’s support.

“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” Meghan said in a statement on Sunday, Jan. 12.

It’s understood that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are working to identify the most effective ways to support the community during the crisis, as the wildfires continue to ravage. Over 40,000 acres have been burned with 24 fatalities reported, according to Cal Fire on Jan. 15.

Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.