News / June 2020

HARRY AND MEGHAN, THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF SUSSEX VISIT HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 24, 2020

Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent the afternoon yesterday visiting with the homeboys and homegirls of Homeboy Industries.

Joining employees in the Homegirl Café and Homeboy Bakery for a session of cooking and conversation, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex helped prepare food for our Feed HOPE program, which employs Homeboy clients who make and provide meals for food-insecure populations, seniors and foster-program youth across Los Angeles. The Feed HOPE program was created as a result of the basic needs gap, that increased dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our founder, Father Greg commented that “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were just ‘Harry and Meghan’ to the homies”. “They rolled up their sleeves and deeply engaged with our workers in the Bakery and Café. It was immediate kinship and heartening in its mutuality.” Prior to visiting, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been speaking with Father Greg about the racial justice movement.

For 32 years our organization has provided essential social services and resources to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women. The free services and programs we provide include mental health counseling, education, legal assistance, addiction recovery support, tattoo removal, job training, workforce development, and direct opportunities for employment through our ten social enterprise businesses. The Homeboy Bakery and Homegirl Café are two of those enterprises.

“With their visit, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex saw the dignity and power that comes from having a job,” said our CEO, Thomas J. Vozzo. “At Homeboy, through our social enterprises, people can continue to heal as they work, learning skills and changing their lives, changing their families and changing communities.”

“It was remarkable to share our Feed HOPE program with Harry and Meghan,” said Mariana Henriquez, Director of Culinary Operations, and former client of the Homeboy program. “They are both down to earth and kind. The staff was honored they took the time to see us, hear us and walk with us on our journey today. We will never forget it.”

Click here to learn more about how we are feeding HOPE to Los Angeles.

For more information contact: Alison Lass alass@homboyindustries.org (323) 526-1254 ext. 310