Thankful for God’s faithfulness and for every hand that has joined us on this incredible journey.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall, forever changing countless lives—including that of our Founder and CEO, Chef Gary LeBlanc. Watch the video to see how this storm inspired the birth of Mercy Chefs and our mission to “just go feed people.”

Celebrate 20 Years: $70/Month, 20 Meals

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2005

Hurricane Katrina hits Chef Gary’s hometown, New Orleans

2006

Mercy Chefs is founded on June 8, 2006

2006

First deployment: Conklin, New York, floods

2008

First mobile kitchen debuts in Suffolk, Virginia, after tornado

2009

Annual holiday outreaches launch to support families rebuilding after disaster

2010

First international response: Haiti earthquake

2013

First large deployment in Moore, Oklahoma; Chef Lisa, future Director of U.S. Disaster Relief, joins mission

2014

Summer outreaches launch in Norfolk, Virginia, helping shape future Community Kitchens

2015

Mercy Chefs reaches 1 million meals served

2017

Back-to-back hurricanes in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico mark a challenging season

2018

Hurricane Michael leads to 100,000 meals and first Beacon of Hope Kitchen in Florida

2019

First Community Kitchen opens in Virginia, later growing to four U.S. locations

2020

COVID-19 drives Family Grocery Box launch; Mercy Chefs surpasses 10 million meals

2022

Mercy Chefs Global officially launches with Honduras kitchen and Ukraine response

2022

Record 420,000 meals served in Florida after Hurricane Ian

2023

Mercy Chefs Global serves Halal meals in Turkey and Kosher meals in Israel

2024

Five consecutive hurricanes, including Helene, mark Mercy Chefs’ largest response to date

2025

Beacon of Hope Kitchens open in North Carolina and Texas to support long-term recovery

2025

Feed the Force launches to support military families facing food insecurity

2026

First tri-state response after winter storm in the South; 38 million meals served

Impact Stories

Jennifer, Michigan Flooding

Tim, Texas Flooding

Cheryl & Brian, Mississippi Tornado

Karen, Kentucky Tornado

Our Story

Mercy Chefs is a faith-based, nonprofit disaster and humanitarian relief organization. We exist to provide professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals to victims, volunteers, and first responders, and we partner with existing like-minded organizations to further their mission by providing food service in underserved communities across the country and around the globe.

A Look Back Over the Years

Relive the moments with us that shaped Mercy Chefs’ mission.