Meghan Markle donates almost $14,000 to benefit only joint Muslim-Jewish kitchen in the UK

The Duchess of Sussex used proceeds from her recipe collection 'Together: Our Community Cookbook' to make the donation

The Duchess of Sussex made a $13,700 donation to a UK community project that benefits Salaam Shalom Kitchen, the only joint Muslim-Jewish kitchen in the UK. Getty Images 

The Duchess of Sussex has donated £10,000 ($13,700) to a UK community project, which will benefit the Salaam Shalom Kitchen, the only joint Muslim-Jewish kitchen in the UK.

The donation came from proceeds of her 2018 book Together: Our Community Cookbook, raised by The Royal Foundation. Meghan Markle donated the money so that the charity "can continue transforming lives through the power of cooking and food", according to a statement.

The donation was made to Himmah, which is a community project in Nottingham, England, tackling poverty, racism and social exclusion. Himmah provides more than 650 emergency food packages each month, and more than 60 hot meals to members of the public each week.

The project representatives have said that money from Markle's donation will be used to stock its food bank, as well as "purchasing equipment and providing funds for the Salaam Shalom Kitchen, the sole Muslim and Jewish community kitchen based in the UK".

"For ages I thought the whole thing was a hoax," Himmah's director Sajid Mohammed told Harper's Bazaar. "They kept emailing me and ringing me about the donation saying it was from the Duchess of Sussex and I just couldn't believe it.

"I was utterly gobsmacked and hugely humbled that Meghan knew about our charity and wanted to support us. It's an absolutely incredible sum and we're so very grateful."

Karen Worth, co-chair and trustee of Salaam Shalom Kitchen, said: "We are so delighted and pleased that Salaam Shalom Kitchen has been noticed and chosen by the Duchess of Sussex.

"The money given to us by her foundation will help to continue our important work in Hyson Green area of Nottingham, which is one the most deprived areas of the city."

Together: Our Community Cookbook was created to benefit Hubb Community Kitchen, which was created in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in London.