Sussexes statement about Californian wildfires

[PrettyFlyforaMaiTai]

Meghan and Harry have released a statement in regards to the California wildfire via their Sussex.com website.

It reads:

”In the last few days, wildfires in Southern California have raged through neighborhoods and devastated families, homes, schools, medical care centers, and so much more – affecting tens of thousands from all walks of life.
A state of emergency has been issued.
If you feel compelled to help, here are some resources and ideas:
Support
Organizations such as José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, which has been a longtime partner of The Archewell Foundation, are serving meals to both first responders and victims of the fire.
CAL FIRE and LA Fire Department Foundation and others are working closely to support firefighters who risk their lives, bravely showing up in these high-risk environments to help save homes, families, and communities in need.
Animal Wellness Foundation is continuing to house and care for animals evacuated by the fires while Compton Cowboys is providing emergency transportation services for horses.
Airbnb and 211LA have partnered to provide free, temporary housing for those who have been displaced.

Baby2baby is providing essential supplies including diapers, clothing, hygiene products, and emergency kits to families in need.
All Power Books and many others are staying open for emergency use, offering supplies and water for pickup while working tirelessly to distribute essentials to those affected.

Open your home
If a friend, loved one, or pet has to evacuate and you are able to offer them a safe haven in your home, please do. And be sure to check in with any disabled or elderly neighbors to see if they need help evacuating.
Give back
Some families and people have been left with nothing. Please consider donating clothing, children’s toys & clothing, and other essentials. The American Red Cross is on the ground helping those in need.”

Yes they are. Do you not know about their connection with World Kitchen? That organisation has thanked them in the past for their support. They have donated to them in the past and I believe been involved in setting up a Centre a few years ago

I know what I said. You believe what you want to believe. I obviously cannot change your mind so will just leave you to go and take other people’s comments out of context so that you can jump on them for faux/ imagined criticisms.

I am sorry you feel like that OP.

The Sussex statement has generated brief interest in MSM - but the “Town and Country magazine can confirm that they have made donation etc” isn’t going to cut it now that others are making simpler statements about how much they are giving.

The Sussexes need to be careful about over-egging their reach. Yes I know this is being said about them, not by them, but it’s an aspect they’ll need to attempt to manage. Examples of numbers of insta followers from 3 celebrities all of whom have had their statements picked up by MSM

• Meghan 1.5m
• Jamie Lee Curtis 6m
• Paris Hilton 26.6m

The list of organisations to help is circulating widely

And the way you explain it that’s a very reasonable response, but it means you open discussion about MM where none had started. Then people will respond and before long the usual suspects are here whining about Meghan being “bashed” and “ripped apart”. The reality is this statement is being criticised as a joint statement and no-one is linking it back to Meghan specifically.

So you say They have left themselves open to criticism though. People don’t like being told to do something like “donate” or “open up your home”

Yet in your post copying their statement I'd clearly says If you feel compelled to help, here are some resources and ideas:

They aren't telling people what to do though. They clearly said if you feel compelled to help. Which is very different.

Their statements are not from The Office Of ……they are personal .

"This has to be the most pointless thread in the history of pointless threads."

We could make it less pointless by making a small donation each.

All Power Books take Venmo. Animal Wellness Foundation take PayPal. Compton Cowboys looks to be a fascinating organization, but I can't at first glance see an easy donation route. Baby2Baby take cards. World Central Kitchen takes ApplePay.

I agree about donations if they would help the bar/ restaurant/ cleaning etc staff .

This and the thread about their dog are excellent - only in that they show that posters here will slag them off for literally any reason they can think of. People always try and justify their 'criticism' but it's just a loads of bollocks.

'From the office of' is apparently absolutely outrageous. There is literally nothing they will ever be able to do or not do or say or not say that won't be the subject of a barrage of abuse. Here at least.

Gosh yes, couldn't agree more. The media of course is focusing on the Hollywood stars, the mansions, the rich areas... it's the people that service these hugely rich areas I feel so sorry for. The gardeners, cooks, cleaners, handymen. They are the ones who will find it difficult to rebuild their lives. No home, no job.

Utter tosh.

They could have released the exact same wording through her new IG account and signed it simply "from Meghan & Harry" and I would have zero criticism.

The pompous "From the Office of" and the gratuitous use of titles that are meaningless in their country of residence is unnecessary and distracting.

Jamie Leigh Curtis didn't release a statement from The Office of The Lady Haden-Guest because she knows it is inappropriate and unnecessary in this situation.

@MrsFinkelstein don't you get bored of constantly berating somebody?

I certainly don't crticise Harry & Meghan or anybody else trying to provide information and/or support in this dreadful situation. And if H&M's post has helped anyone then good for them. I can't see anything in the actual content of their statement to object to.

However I do wish that for once, just for this once, they had dropped the pompous and self-aggrandising “From the Office of...” In the light of the terrible devastation & suffering we have all seen that struck a very jarring note.

If they said they were donating /had donated and /or taken people in they would be accused of attention seeking/virtue signalling - like anyone i- no one knows what anyone does privately as well as or instead of publically.
Surely making sure they information they shared is spread as widely as possible is a good thing?

Not when they're spreading misinformation and stirring up conflict, no.

And I've posted twice in this thread in total.

No one would take offence to a statement that didn't apply to them and wasn't true.

If only all these Celebs cared about the 50,000 homeless living on the streets of Los Angeles day in, day out.

They have donated children's toys, clothing and other supplies. They are working with a chef to help provide meals.

They're also going to help with mental health support - something that will be overlooked but massively important.

It will never be enough for some people

The amusing one today is on another thread someone complaining they only donated £300k to a charity (not fire related and some time ago) as though they should given away even more cos they can afford to. Yet how maby comments do we see on this board speculating, criticising, mocking them for being grifters and desperate to earn money as they must be running out.

🤣 on one hand they need to donate more money on the other they are running out and desperate for any work. You just think pick a lane and stick with it

@Mylovelygreendress
"agree about donations if they would help the bar/ restaurant/ cleaning etc staff ."

Sorry-they are all organisations that support multimillionaires only......🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

they only donated £300k to a charity (not fire related and some time ago)

To be fair, it was their largest donation and it was to a university department.

🤣 on one hand they need to donate more money on the other they are running out and desperate for any work. You just think pick a lane and stick with it

Meghan and Harry were the ones who chose to set up a Foundation because they were so keen to show up and do good. It’s a major plank of their PR positioning. No-one else made them do that. How outrageous that their charitable donations then get scrutinised!

Let's face it, H&M just aren't very popular these days.

People don’t like being told to do something like “donate” or “open up your home” unless the original person is also contributing.

This is such a valid point, Oprah and Dwayne Johnson got a huge amount of backlash for asking their followers to donate to a fund they had set up for those affected by the wildfires in Hawaii.

There was absolutely no need for H&M to make a statement from their office, she now has a public instagram account, it could have been done from there like every other celebrity did.

Their paragraph about opening homes and donating was tone deaf, condescending and arrogant. . They had already linked to the various organisations which is exactly what most other celebs did, but without the PR 'lecture'. A few celebs also linked to climate change organisations statements, again not exactly appropriate in the middle of a disaster.

I think the pedestal of celebrity is beginning to crumble.