Meghan Markle, Prince Harry donate to Texas women's shelter damaged in winter storm

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle donated to a Dallas women’s shelter after a winter storm left the organisation with fallen ceilings and burst pipes. While taking to Twitter, Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support on February 21 said that they received a donation from the Archewell Foundation, a non-profit created by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The organisation thanked the couple and said that the funds will support the replacement of the roof at its transitional housing facility and help meet their immediate needs. 

According to the magazine-based website, People, Jan Langbein, CEO of Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, said that the donation made by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will help the organisation get back on its feet. Jan added that not only will this gift provide for the organisation’s critical needs, but also it will shine international spotlight on violence against women and children, and it will let survivors know that they are not alone. It is worth noting that the Duke and Duchess’ donation comes at a critical time as most domestic violence organisations have recently reported an increase in violence. 

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Support received from 50 states 

Meanwhile, the Dallas-based shelter closed for the first time in 35 years after last week’s winter storm, which knocked power throughout the state, including at Genesis’ emergency shelter and apartment. Jan said that as cold weather continued throughout the week, the pipes burst, flooding the organisation’s onsite school. She informed that the furniture was left covered with insulation after the ceilings had collapsed. 

Genesis serves around 3,700 women and children each year. Following the winter storm crisis, clients were relocated to hotels, other shelters, and to the homes of friends and family members. In a tweet, the organisation had said that the shelter had reopened and that donations poured in from all over the country. 

It is worth noting that Texas is currently in the middle of a winter storm and is experiencing its coldest temperatures in decades. Power outages, caused by a combination of high demand, power plants crippled by the weather, and a grid that is cut off from the rest of the country, have left millions of people shivering in the dark. Water problems have impacted about 14.3 million residents out of a total population of around 29 million, as officials distribute fresh water and food to thousands of people. 

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