PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Mercy Chefs, a Virginia-based disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, is serving hot, chef-prepared meals to the victims, volunteers and first responders of Hurricane Helene.
The nonprofit, which has served more than 27 million meals since its founding in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, has set up a base for operations in Newberry, Florida. The team is serving meals from Destiny Community Church, located at 20820 W Newberry Rd, Newberry, FL 32669. Lunch will be served from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with the exception of Sunday. Dinner service will be provided daily from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Mercy Chefs is also distributing meals to other areas of great need including Crystal River, Cedar Key and Perry.
“The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene along Florida’s Big Bend and the Southeast is overwhelming,” said Gary LeBlanc, founder and CEO of Mercy Chefs. “We have the capacity to produce upwards of 20,000 meals per day as we work to feed body and soul wherever we are needed most.”
After Hurricane Katrina, LeBlanc went to New Orleans to volunteer and realized disaster relief could be done better. Nearly 20 years later, the organization he founded has provided restaurant-quality meals across the country and around the globe.
To support Mercy Chefs in its current relief efforts, visit: https://mercychefs.com/helene-response/.
Follow Mercy Chefs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates on relief efforts.
ABOUT MERCY CHEFS
Mercy Chefs is a 501c3 founded in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The organization exists to provide professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals to victims, volunteers and first responders in natural disasters and national emergencies and partners with existing ministries with food service in underserved communities across the country and around the globe. Since its founding, Mercy Chefs has served more than 27 million meals. In 2020, Mercy Chefs founder Gary LeBlanc was recognized by Southern Living Magazine as a “Hometown Hero,” and Mercy Chefs was named the 2020 Small Business of the Year in the nonprofit category by Inside Business and the Hampton Roads Chamber. Mercy Chefs also has been featured in major news outlets such as CNN, Fox News, NBC News, PBS and ABC News. For more information, visit MercyChefs.com.
