Mercy Chefs Deploying to Nepal Following Deadly Flash Flooding
PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA – Mercy Chefs, a Virginia-based nonprofit specializing in disaster relief, has activated a response in Nepal following the catastrophic flash flooding that left widespread devastation in its wake.
The nonprofit has an established presence in Nepal, where Mercy Chefs Global has been operating daily feeding programs in partnership with local organizations and churches for over a year in the mountain communities. Following the flash floods, Mercy Chefs activated its network in Nepal, providing the resources needed for partners to respond immediately, while members of the organization’s global disaster response team mobilizes to join them.
Drawing on its experience responding to global disasters, including the recent earthquake in Venezuela, the team will work to rapidly scale operations. The nonprofit will initially focus on grocery distributions and providing staples to families across remote communities.
“The impact of the flash flooding is heartbreaking, and the death toll continues to climb,” said Gary LeBlanc, founder and CEO of Mercy Chefs. “We’re grateful our established network in Nepal was able to begin helping those in need immediately. Now, as our response team joins them, we’ll continue working together to feed body and soul in communities facing unimaginable loss.”
Mercy Chefs was founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when LeBlanc volunteered in New Orleans, a city close to his heart where his family was from and where he began his career. While serving, he was troubled by the lack of food safety measures and saw a need for a better way to feed people after disasters. He believed that when people have lost everything, they deserve more than a meal that simply meets a basic need. They deserve to be served with dignity and care through a meal that looks like love on a plate. Twenty years later, the organization he founded has provided more than 38 million restaurant-quality meals across the country and around the globe, carrying forward that same belief with every meal served.
To support Mercy Chefs’ relief efforts in Nepal, visit here. Follow Mercy Chefs on Facebook, Instagram, and X for updates on relief efforts.