- According to People, Duchess Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, inspired her daughter's lifelong dedication to charity work and philanthropy.
- "Her mom made sure they always gave back," a source told the outlet.
- Ragland reportedly inspired Meghan and Prince Harry's decision to begin volunteering with Project Angel Food in Los Angeles.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's passion for philanthropy started long before her life as a royal.
According to People, Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, inspired the duchess to dedicate her time to charity work while growing up, and especially now as she continues her transition into post-royal life.
"Meghan didn't have much when she was a child, but her mom made sure they always gave back," a source told People. Per the outlet, Ragland was behind Meghan and Prince Harry's decision to begin volunteering with Project Angel Food in Los Angeles, where the pair help deliver meals to sick individuals affected by the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
"[Meghan] said she wanted to do something to give back on Easter and was talking to her mom and her mom told her that Project Angel Food needs help and Meghan said, 'Yes, brilliant,'" explained the executive director of Project Angel Food, Richard Ayoub.
Chris Jackson//Getty Images
Since the Sussexes' relocation to Los Angeles late last month, the pair have been focused on spending time together as a family with their young son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, and step outside their home only to partake in charity work. In addition to volunteering with Project Angel Food, Meghan and Harry have video-called families and members of their royal patronages, as well as donated more than $100,000 in proceeds from their 2018 wedding broadcast to a U.K.–based food bank.
"My mother raised me to be a global citizen, with eyes open to sometimes harsh realities," Meghan previously wrote on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig (per People). "Both my parents came from little, so they made a choice to give a lot—buying turkeys for homeless shelters at Thanksgiving, delivering meals to patients in hospice care, donating any spare change in their pocket to those asking for it, and performing quiet acts of grace—be it a hug, a smile, or a pat on the back to show ones in need that they would be alright."
Bianca Betancourt is the culture editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, where she covers all things film, TV, music, and more. When she's not writing, she loves impulsively baking a batch of cookies, re-listening to the same early-2000s pop playlist, and stalking Mariah Carey's Twitter feed.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qa3RqZyrq5KWx6Kt0WeaqKVfmLKtscGroK2xX6GutbHSrWaaa2JnhXh%2BlXFmpp2Xna6vecyaqaSklWK6sLmMoqWsqJmnsqV5wqGYq6Gkrnq4u9GkZg%3D%3D