Kate Middleton and Prince William Help Out At Vital Foodbank Close To Their Windsor Home

Kate Middleton and Prince William are giving a helping hand to those giving out essential food parcels.

The Prince and Princess of Wales headed to one of their local foodbanks on Thursday morning to pack and prepare parcels for the community.

William and Kate were at the Windsor Foodshare aided volunteers to sort food donations and get packages ready for pick up later in the day. It also runs a home delivery service for people with mobility requirements and those who do not have access to transport.

Windsor Foodshare, which is marking its 10th anniversary this year, provides much-needed help to struggling families and households in the town through weekly donations of easily-stored provisions, bread, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables. Toiletries and cleaning products are also provided on a monthly basis.

The couple met those involved in running the service and were were told how the charity's key principles revolved around treating any potential client as equals and making no judgements on their circumstances. Families and individuals are referred to the service by a variety of sources like schools, doctors, social services, churches and community wardens.

The town may be in a relatively well-to-do area, but the royal couple were also told about how the rising cost of living has brought a sharp increase for Windsor Foodshare's services. Last year, the charity helped to feed more than 7,000 local residents, an increase of 18 percent from the previous year's support. That is about 150 people a week receiving a food parcel from Windsor Foodshare.

On Wednesday, Kate was also carrying out public duties in Windsor. She hosted a meeting at the Castle for her Early Years' initiative. The princess gathered a group of eight professionals from academia, science and the early years sector who she has chosen to add their voices to her early years work. They will offer strategic advice and provide oversight of the work of her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.