Meghan Markle Treats Paid Leave Campaign Workers To Coffee; Twitter Reacts

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex visit One World Observatory at One World Observatory on September 23, 2021 in New York City.

Meghan Markle continues to support the fight for paid leave.

Days after publishing a letter advocating for nationally mandated paid leave for American parents, the Duchess of Sussex treated workers at Paid Leave for the U.S. (PL+US) to some coffee by donating $25 Starbucks vouchers through her and Prince Harry's Archewell Foundation.

Neil Sroka, director of communications at PL+US — a group campaigning for paid family and medical leave — shared a snap of the gift card he received on Twitter. The card was signed by Archewell and included the message, "Just a little something to keep you going. Thank you for all that you do."

In his tweet, Sroka revealed that Markle bought everyone at the organization a few cups of coffee while they're working overtime. "Unbelievably classy... and necessary. Truly honored to know she has our backs in the fight to win," he added.

Markle's gesture of thanks received praise from fans on Twitter, with one commenting, "That’s the Meghan we know. She leaves magic anywhere she goes. Good work to everyone."

Another Twitter user wrote, "I love hearing these motivating uplifting stories about Duchess Meghan! She continuously shows her caring, giving nature and sincerity. Keep up the good work, Meghan Markle and SavePaidLeave Team!"

"It is very sweet of you to share this news. Small kindnesses are trademark gestures from Meghan and they can make such a difference on the ground. Please tell the team we are hugely disappointed that paid leave didn't make it across the line, but to bring paid leave policy home," a third person commented.

Some poked fun at the amount she gave, while others questioned the coffee donation.

"She bought y’all a cup of coffee and a muffin or a scone," one wrote with a laughing emoji.

"I would have expected someone who is a humanitarian and supposedly wealthy to donate her own money and [to do it] anonymously," another commented.

"That's what I use to get for my kid's teachers and crossing guard for Christmas, and I'm no duchess, nor did it come from a charity fund," a third user wrote, adding an image that said, "cheapskate."

Another netizen suggested that Sroka should have acknowledged Prince Harry because the donation was made via Archewell, which the Duke of Sussex co-founded. "I guess it is a one-woman show then, and it explains the intention behind those coffees," the netizen claimed.

One supporter of the duchess fired back at her critics, writing, "Are y'all really out here hating on an act of kindness, a nice 'thank you'?? It doesn't matter what she does, you'll find a way to hate it."

After his post received a "stunning amount of coverage," Sroka later tweeted a clarification after some criticized Markle for reportedly giving too little despite being worth millions.

"The Duchess/Archewell gave EACH of our staffers $25 for [coffee emoji]. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to some, but for our team fighting to #SavePaidLeave, it was a delightful surprise. Thank you #MeghanMarkle," he added.