What we do

What We Do

Mercy Chefs originated as a disaster relief organization, and this remains our primary focus.

Outside of natural disasters and national emergencies, we recognize a responsibility to utilize our equipment, resources, skills and volunteers to the meet the needs of others. Consequently, when we aren’t responding to a crisis situation, our team is busy working on our other service initiatives.

Disaster Relief & Long-Term Recovery

We respond to natural disasters and national emergencies at a moment’s notice. On deployment, our professional chefs prepare high-quality, hot meals on a mass scale for victims, first responders and volunteers – up to 20,000 meals a day if needed. We aim to be one of the first organizations to arrive following a major weather event and stay as long as needed to meet the needs of a devastated community.

Community Kitchens

Mercy Chefs’ CoFounder, Ann LeBlanc, inspired the development of our Community Kitchens & Outreach division. She recognized our organization’s responsibility to put our resources, volunteers, and skills to use outside of disasters to feed food-insecure populations across the nation. In 2019, Mercy Chefs launched its first community kitchen in Portsmouth, Virginia as the model for a program that has been replicated in 4 locations so far.

Food Insecurity Response

Mercy Chefs has delivered millions of meals through grocery box distribution. The impact these groceries have made on people’s lives is unparalleled. We’ve expanded this program and continue to find new ways to support people in food insecure communities through job skills training, single parent cooking classes, budget recipe creation, and community gardens.

Making It Happen

Without local churches, our mobile kitchens, and local volunteers, we could not achieve our high aim of feeding up to 20,000 chef-prepared meals a day in disaster zones.

Local Churches

Local churches and Christian organizations become the hub for our emergency deployments and community outreaches. We work in partnership with these organizations to maximize the long term impact of our work and to highlight their existing ministries as a beacon of hope for the community.

Mobile Kitchens

Mercy Chefs sets up our mobile kitchen, refrigerated trailer and team of professional chefs on site to plan, prepare and serve restaurant quality meals for the community members in need. Our experience and mass service capabilities increase the work able to be accomplished by our local partners.

Local Volunteers

Local volunteers come alongside Mercy Chefs and our local ministry partners to help meet the need within their own community. Their service creates a lasting connection between the volunteers, those we serve and our local partners. This connection strengthens the bond within the community and helps volunteers get plugged in to long-term ministries.