Community Kitchens

Mercy Chefs’ CoFounder and President Ann LeBlanc inspired the development of our Community Kitchens and Outreach division.

Ann recognized our organization’s responsibility to use our resources, volunteers, and skills outside of disasters to feed food-insecure populations across the United States. She reminded Chef Gary that our mission is not just to “feed people during disasters” but to “just go feed people.”

Back-to-School Bash in Portsmouth, VA
In 2019, Mercy Chefs launched the first permanent community kitchen at our headquarters in Portsmouth, VA.

This community kitchen model has since been replicated in Nashville, TN, Dallas, TX, and Richmond, VA, with more to come. By partnering with local organizations, we maximize our joint efforts and strengthen each community. Beyond immediate relief, we are committed to long-term recovery and enrichment for sustained impact.

Our Locations

Community Kitchens

Week in and out, our community kitchens serve nutritious meals to low-income, food-insecure populations across the country. We support local organizations by providing food services for after-school programs, resources for single parents and their children, holiday meals and more, actively creating a measure of stability for families who do not know where their next meal will come from.

For more information, please contact Raymond LeBlanc at raymond@mercychefs.com.

Portsmouth logo

Our first community kitchen was established in 2019 in the backyard of our headquarters located in Portsmouth, VA. We bought the offices with the dream of one day creating a community kitchen for our neighbors to come eat, learn and serve with us. This was the beginning of the community kitchen model.

711 Washington Street
Portsmouth, VA 23704

In the aftermath of COVID-19, Nashville was struggling with intense food insecurity, especially among one of the largest homeless populations in the U.S. With incredible church partners, we established our second permanent community kitchen in 2021 and have regularly been feeding hundreds of meals weekly to those struggling with homelessness and more.

15354 Old Hickory Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37211

Our Dallas kitchen launched in the summer of 2023 after a long-term dream to be in the heart of this great state with a shared love for food and hospitality. In partnership with Youth World, we’ve been growing our impact since the opening.

1121 W Wheatland Road
Dallas, TX 75232

Opening in October 2023, this kitchen focuses on educating and empowering the community in cooking and nutrition, as well as growing sustainable produce. We look forward to feeding another Virginia community not far from our headquarters and sharing our mission with fellow Virginians.

2500 Nine Mile Road
Richmond, VA 23223