Chef Gary Receives 2024 Community Champion Award by National Restaurant Association

November 7, 2024

Chef Gary Receives 2024 Community Champion Award by National Restaurant Association

WASHINGTON, DC — Chef Gary LeBlanc, Founder and CEO of Mercy Chefs, has been recognized with the Community Champion Award as part of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s 2024 Restaurant Advance Leadership Awards.

The honor celebrates Mercy Chefs’ extraordinary impact in providing more than 28 million hot, restaurant-quality meals to disaster survivors, first responders, and volunteers across the country and around the globe. With the support of 15,000 volunteers, the organization continues to serve those in need with compassion and excellence.

Sponsored by American Express, this award paid tribute to Mercy Chefs’ commitment to disaster relief, community service, and charitable outreach, acknowledging the organization’s vital role in times of crisis.

Read more about the award from the National Restaurant Association here.

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 38 million meals. In 2025, Good Morning America held a live broadcast from Mercy Chefs’ headquarters as part of its “50 States in 50 Weeks” coverage. Mercy Chefs has also been featured in news outlets such as CNN, Fox News, NBC News, PBS, and Southern Living. For more information, visit mercychefs.com.

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter

Stay up-to-date with Mercy Chefs’ disaster responses, outreaches, and events by signing up below!