Emergency Meals Provided in Selmer, Tennessee, to Tornado Victims

April 4, 2025

Emergency Meals Provided in Selmer, Tennessee, to Tornado Victims

PORTSMOUTH, VA – Mercy Chefs, a Virginia-based nonprofit that provides chef-prepared meals specializing in disaster relief, is deploying to Selmer, TN, in response to recent tornadoes that swept through the region earlier in the week. The team will begin serving hot meals at lunchtime on Friday, April 4, from Lakeview Church to storm victims, first responders, and local volunteers.

“The devastation that severe weather has on a small town is unfathomable. Our prayers are with the Selmer community,”  said Gary LeBlanc, Founder and CEO of Mercy Chefs. “The proximity of our Tanner, AL, warehouse, where we store food, water, and equipment, allows our team to quickly respond.”

Tornado victim receiving Mercy Chefs meals for her family in Tennessee
A Mercy Chefs volunteer preparing hot meals for tornado victims in Tennessee
First responders receiving Mercy Chefs meals in Tennessee in the wake of tornadoes
A Mercy Chefs meal

Mercy Chefs was founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when LeBlanc volunteered in New Orleans and was deeply troubled by the little to no food safety measures being provided to disaster victims. Nearly 20 years later, the organization has served more than 30 million restaurant-quality meals to people affected by natural disasters and national emergencies across the country and around the globe.

Follow and support Mercy Chefs’ response in Selmer at mercychefs.com/tennessee-tornado-2025/.

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ABOUT MERCY CHEFS  

Mercy Chefs is a 501(c)(3) 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 35 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 has also been featured in major news outlets, such as CNN, Fox News, NBC News, PBS, and ABC News. For more information, visit mercychefs.com.

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