Last month, Southern California was devastated by widespread wildfires. Densely populated areas like Pasadena and Altadena were very heavily damaged and thousands of people’s lives have been radically altered. Amid the chaos of the fires, a group of teenage girls in Altadena decided to put together what they hoped would be a week-long pop-up “shop” where teens could come in and get some fresh clothes, makeup, skincare and other items they needed. They called themselves the Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery Group, or Altadena Girls for short. Their little project took off instantly, with celebrities and major charities stepping in with donations and all kinds of help. One of the celebrities doing the most? The Duchess of Sussex, and her Archewell Foundation. The founder of Altadena Girls spoke to Marie Claire exclusively about their mission, and how Meghan helped out and more. Some highlights:

Altadena Girls was started by 14-year-old Avery Colvert: In the days following [the fires], Colvert gathered clothing to help local wildfire victims. Then she and stepdad Matt Chait had an idea: They would “collect some clothes from whomever will donate” and “have a little bit of a free fair for one day.” Colvert decided to also include products like skincare, accessories and makeup—“exactly what a teenage girl would want.” A friend of her stepdad’s offered his creative space, Small Green Door, for them to use.

It was supposed to be a temporary thing: “It was supposed to be a weeklong plan,” Colvert says with a laugh. However, word quickly spread and “within probably 30 minutes of releasing the location” there were “trucks lined up down the street donating items.” Celebrities like Paris Hilton and Ariana Grande got involved; major brands—including Grande’s R.E.M. Beauty and Bella Hadid’s Orebella—sent in donations. Girls from around the area flocked to their temporary space to shop. And then Shauna Nep, the co-executive director of the Archewell Foundation, came calling. When Avery’s stepdad told her that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s foundation wanted to get involved, Colvert says she “just started to break down crying.”

Avery on Meghan: “Meghan is so incredibly kind,” the Altadena Girls founder continues. “She was so excited to help.” After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were spotted volunteering at a Los Angeles food bank and Meghan appeared in an Instagram Reel from Altadena Girls, numerous “royal experts” claimed the duchess was just looking for a photo opp. Colvert says she finds the claims “ridiculous.” “They’re like, ‘Oh she came in and she just dropped her stuff off and left.’ People weren’t there,” she shares, explaining that Meghan “came in with bags of clothing from her own closet” and “was there for multiple hours in a day.” The duchess even “got stylist training” so she could help girls choose outfits and accessories. “For all the girls that were coming in, they got to be styled by Meghan Markle,” Colvert continues, noting that some clients “came in and just completely broke down” when they saw the duchess there. As for her stepdad, Chait, he says he was in shock at how long Meghan stayed and helped. “She was carrying out bags to people’s cars,” Colvert says.

Archewell helped secure Altadena Girls’ new space: But the Archewell Foundation’s support “has continued beyond just that day,” as Chait tells Marie Claire. “They’ve continued to open lots of doors for us and make connections,” he says. When it came to Altadena Girls’s new permanent space, which opened in Pasadena last week, Archewell even helped them “to secure the building,” Chait says.

A long-term solution: As for that future, Altadena Girls has now become “a long-term solution” to help girls in need, Colvert says, and not just a project to address the wildfires. Along with providing clothing and other items, mental wellness services—which Altadena Girls is already offering—will be at the heart of the organization’s new 12,000-square-foot permanent space in Pasadena. The building will also give kids who have lost their schools and activities a safe place to gather. “There’s going to be therapy services, we’re going to build out a dance room and have dance classes and yoga classes,” Colvert says of Altadena Girls’s new HQ, which, of course, also includes a free storefront where girls can shop. Chait adds several national brands have reached out to provide funding for the activity rooms. “This isn’t like a pipe dream right now,” he says. “We signed a long-term lease.”

Archewell’s consequential support: While Altadena Girls has been lucky to receive support from the likes of Kerry Washington—whose birthday party the duchess recently attended—along with Charlie XCX, Mindy Kaling, Skims and Huda Beauty, Chait calls their relationship with the Archewell Foundation “the most surprising and really consequential” connection to date. “It really made the biggest difference,” he says.

[From Marie Claire]

The criticism of Meghan for volunteering in her hometown during a huge natural disaster was always unhinged, and it never had any basis in reality. It was actually a test case of the virulence of Deranger hate – they exposed themselves as unreasonable people who lost their sh-t over absolutely anything involving Meghan. It’s really cool that Meghan went out of her way to support Avery’s project and that this has grown to such a huge extent in a matter of, like, three weeks. Archewell continues to do good work behind the scenes.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Sky News, Fox affiliate.