Kate Middleton Visits Baby Bank Before Christmas — and Brings Book She Reads with George, Charlotte and Louis

The Princess of Wales visited a charity that helps children and families in need

Kate Middleton is getting into the holiday spirit!

On Friday, the Princess of Wales, 41, helped put the finishing touches to a Santa’s Grotto during a poignant visit to a charity that helps children in need.

Mom-of-three Kate visited Sebby’s Corner, in Barnet in northwest London, a baby bank that provides a safety net for families in need of food and clothes across Barnet, Hertfordshire and London. Working with professionals such as midwives, health visitors and teachers who refer families to them, Sebby’s aims to reach some of the most vulnerable children — particularly at a time of year when families are often at their most stretched.

At the grotto, Kate brought a special gift for Sebby’s to give to families — a book that is a favorite of Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. The Princess of Wales brought along 50 copies of The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, which follows a baby barn owl on an epic adventure to overcome a fear of the dark.

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“It was so lovely that she brought the books. They were a book that she said she enjoyed reading with her children,” Bianca Sakol, founder and CEO of Sebby’s Corner, tells PEOPLE.

As they prepared the area, she and Sakol and the other volunteers told Kate that they expect to see 1,400 children this season, which “is a lot more than last year,” the charity founder tells PEOPLE.

“Things are so difficult now with the cost of living crisis and those families who were just getting by last year are now struggling and just can’t make ends meet. That’s what services like ours are there for. Every child should have Christmas and we talked a lot about that and how people can help get involved in supporting that,” Sakol says.

She adds, “[The Princess] sat down with some of our families and really chatted with them and she understood where they were coming from. She is so warm and empathetic and really makes them feel comfortable and at ease.”

Clearly, Kate is lucky, living behind palace walls. But Sakol says, “She is aware that she is privileged but she is trying to use that privilege to improve peoples’ lives. It is really special that someone who does come from her place [in society] does so.”

“What struck me was how passionate she is about young people and early childhood and the difference that organizations like us can make. She really did seem like she wanted to help raise awareness and use her voice for good — and not everyone does that,” she says. “She understands the challenges we face and what we’re trying to do here.”

According to the founder of Sebby’s Corner, the Princess of Wales came prepared for the special stop on Friday.

"She had done her research and she knew who we were and what we are about. She is an amazing woman. She makes you feel so comfortable about the things that we do and is keen to use her voice to help raise awareness,” Sakol says.

Princess Kate’s Shaping Us campaign that she launched in January fits “in beautifully” with the work of Sebby’s Corner, she adds.

“We don’t just give things to families but we help relieve their mental health and help relieve their financial burden. When that burden is lifted it trickles down to the children and helps them, and helps them feel equipped to go to school and so on. So we’re part of that solution,” says Sakol.

Kate knows the “importance of baby banks and the role they play in shaping childhood and the impact they can have on parents who are struggling. They are hidden in society but we’re doing so much," says Sakol. "What we talked to her about was removing the stigma about using a baby bank.”

The princess' visit came as her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood published an “Issues Index,” which found that a third of people in the U.K. believe financial pressure is the biggest issue facing parents and carers in 2023.

During her visit, Princess Kate spoke with representatives from other baby banks about the crucial work organizations like Sebby’s do to provide essential items such as clothing, diapers, toiletries and baby equipment to families in need.

At the stop, the royal met a mom who has been supported by the charity along with the professional who made the referral.

Kate then joined volunteers and podcast host Giovanna Fletcher to complete the creation of Sebby’s annual Christmas Grotto which provides a space for struggling families to choose gifts for their children. The Princess of Wales helped decorate the space and put out some presents that families will receive.

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Fletcher, a writer and successful podcast host, interviewed the princess for her Happy Mum, Happy Baby Podcast in 2020 and is a champion for Kate’s Shaping Us campaign which highlights the issues around the development of children aged 0-5. She will be among those supporting an appeal being made by the Centre for Early Childhood to encourage people to donate money, baby products and pre-loved items, or to volunteer their time, to support their local baby banks throughout December.

In conversation with Fletcher almost four years ago, Kate candidly spoke about some of the challenges she faced as a mother — including the guilt she felt when she left Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to head out for a royal duty or event.

"You know, even this morning, coming to the nursery visit here, George and Charlotte were like, ‘Mummy, how could you possibly not be dropping us off at school this morning?’” Kate said on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast in February 2020.

“It’s a constant challenge — you hear it time and time again from moms, even moms who aren’t necessarily working and aren’t pulled in the directions of having to juggle work life and family life,” Kate added.

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“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from—we’re all going through a lot of the same things,” Fletcher said at the time. “We are all having sleepless nights and going through potty training or whatever it is... there’s something that unites us all. I think having the Duchess on really highlights that.”

Princess Kate's visit comes at the end of the week that she and husband Prince William helped host the state visit of the President and First Lady of South Korea to the U.K. And next week, the couple will go on a "double date" with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel to the Royal Variety Performance, it was announced on Thursday.

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