Prince William and Princess Kate Help Out at a Food Bank

Prince William and Princess Kate helped their local community this week by volunteering at a food bank.

On Thursday, the Prince and Princess of Wales traveled to the Windsor Foodshare—not far from their new home of Adelaide Cottage—to draw attention to the challenges people face during these more difficult winter months. Once there, the couple helped other volunteers sort food donations and get packages ready to be picked up later that day. However, it seems that one royal was slightly more gifted at divvying up the food stuffs and preparing those shipments than the other. Sarah Kember, the manager of Windsor Foodshare, jokingly told People, “They did alright,” before adding, “One was better than the other, but I won’t say which.” It seems that William may have been taking his duties a little more seriously than his wife considering at once point he interrupted the princess to say, “Excuse me, too much nattering going on over here!” causing the group she was chatting with to erupt in laughter.

While helping out, William and Kate also pushed around shopping carts, filling them up with produce to bag up for these families in need. Kember added, “They were just so friendly. We found them so open and putting us at ease. They were comfortable in everything they were doing. They’re such a lovely couple.” The manager continued, “They wanted to be involved, they wanted to be hands-on and not just come and see what we were doing. They asked, ‘Can we physically get involved and do stuff?’ I’m more than happy for more hands to help.” The pair also teased that they could return in the near future. Kember said, “They’ve been invited, and if I’m short of volunteers, I know where to go!”

The royal couple was there to help Windsor Foodshare commemorate its 10th anniversary. The organization provides short-term weekly help in the form of non-perishable foods, as well as bread, eggs, fresh fruit, and vegetables, to any local household in need. Once a month, the food bank also provides toiletries and cleaning products, as well as running a home delivery service for people whose mobility is impaired or for those who do not have access to transportation.

William and Kate also met with those responsible for running the organization and were informed of the food bank’s key principles, which include treating any potential clients as equals and not judging their circumstances. The charity’s clients are typically referred to them from a wide range of place, including schools, doctors, social services, churches, and community wardens. And although the neighborhood surrounding Windsor Castle may be relatively well-off, Windsor Foodshare informed the royals that the rising cost of living has recently caused a sharp up-tick in the number of people using their services. Last year, the charity helped feed over 7,000 local residents, an increase of 18% from the year prior.

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