Mercy Chefs

We exist to provide chef-prepared, restaurant-quality meals that not only feed the body but the soul.
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Mercy Chefs is a faith-based, 501(c)3 non-profit disaster relief organization. We exist to provide professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals to victims, volunteers, and first responders in natural disasters, national emergencies, and humanitarian crises, and we partner with existing like-minded organizations to further their mission by providing food service in underserved communities across the country. For more information, please visit our website: mercychefs.com.

06/24/2026

When school is out, many children lose access to the meals they count on every day. More than 21 million children rely on free or reduced-price school lunches during the school year, yet only 16 out of every 100 who receive those meals participate in a summer meal program. At the same time, nearly 1 in 5 children in the United States faces food insecurity.

That's why Mercy Chefs is expanding our Summer Backpack Initiative to the communities where we operate Community Kitchens and Beacon of Hope locations. Throughout the summer, we'll distribute food-filled backpacks in Portsmouth and Richmond, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee; Tampa, Florida; St. Louis, Missouri; and Kerr County, Texas, helping children and families access nutritious meals when school is out.

Together, we can help bridge the gap and ensure more kids have the support they need all summer long. If you'd like to help, visit https://go.mercychefs.com/summer-feeding-2026 🎒❤

06/22/2026

In the remote region of La Mosquitia, Nicaragua, some of the families Mercy Chefs Global serves can only be reached after a day-long drive followed by a five-hour canoe ride up the Prinzapolka River.

This beautiful indigenous region faces major hurricanes each year and remains largely unreached due to its isolation. Through a network of local church families, groceries are distributed to communities where access to food can be incredibly difficult.

It's one of the longest and most challenging food distribution routes in our global ministry, but we believe no community is too far to go. We're grateful for partners who help us feed body and soul in the hardest-to-reach corners of the world. ❤

Want to see where Mercy Chefs Global is serving every day? Visit our interactive Global Map: https://mercychefs.com/global

06/21/2026

Happy Father's Day to all the dads, grandfathers, and father figures we have the privilege of serving, and to all of the amazing fathers on our Mercy Chefs team!

Thank you for the ways you lead, sacrifice, and care for your families and communities each day. We hope your day is filled with joy, laughter, and time spent with those who matter most. ❤️

06/20/2026

A simple bag of groceries can bring light to the darkest places.

In central Pakistan, entire families—children and elderly included—are forced into making endless stacks of bricks. They strain and sweat in mud pits to work off debt they’ve incurred due to medical emergencies or religious persecution. The wage they earn is barely enough to keep them alive, much less pay down their debts.

Mercy Chefs is bridging that gap. We partner with a local church to bring hot meals and groceries that allow families to apply more of their wages toward their debts. And best of all, many have come to know Jesus and been baptized.

06/18/2026

Supporting those who serve means supporting the people who stand beside them every day.

Yesterday, Mercy Chefs provided 700 hot, chef-prepared meals and distributed 300 family grocery boxes and produce bags at Joint Base Little Creek. This outreach supported military families, civilian employees, and support staff who play important roles in supporting our armed forces, including many with loved ones currently deployed.

“It’s so awesome that Mercy Chefs shows up in this way, especially for people who just work on the base and families left behind,” the base chaplain told us. “They’re often forgotten.”

Through Feed the Force, we're honored to come alongside these families during this challenging season. Our hope is that each meal and grocery box offered not only nourishment but also serves as a reminder that they are not carrying these burdens alone and that their service and sacrifice matter. 🇺🇸❤

06/16/2026

A kitchen can do so much more than prepare meals.

Mercy Chefs Global recently celebrated the launch of a newly equipped kitchen in Northern Argentina. It's a space designed to serve as a hub for training, outreach, and ministry. More than 60 volunteers received hands-on culinary and food safety training, equipping them to serve their own communities with excellence and compassion.

More than a kitchen, this is a model that can be replicated around the globe, empowering local leaders to feed body and soul and bring lasting hope for years to come. 🌎❤

06/14/2026

Nearly a year after devastating flooding impacted Kerr County, recovery is still underway. Since last July, Mercy Chefs has served more than 350,000 meals to families, volunteers, and first responders across the region.

Today, our Beacon of Hope Kitchen continues to serve thousands of meals each week, including hundreds of meals through our drive-thru line to families still recovering from the floods. We're also serving local students and teachers and partnering with organizations focused on mental health and emotional recovery throughout the community.

We're also continuing to find new ways to invest in the community. This week, our Kerrville team hosted its first Dinner in a SNAP cooking class for moms from Christian Women's Job Corps, providing budget-friendly recipes, grocery boxes, fellowship, and hands-on cooking experience. A few of the older kids even jumped in to cook alongside their moms.

As recovery continues, we're grateful for every opportunity to serve, encourage, and walk alongside this community, feeding body and soul for the long haul. ❤

06/09/2026

Twenty years ago, God gave Chef Gary LeBlanc a simple mission: feed people, just go feed people.

This is a glimpse into the journey He has taken us on ever since—the people we've met, the communities we've served, and the countless moments and miracles that continue to remind us why we do what we do.

What began with an act of obedience to feed body and soul has led to 38 million meals served, countless lives impacted across the U.S. and around the globe, and stories that remind us every day of the power of a hot, chef-prepared meal.

And we're just getting started. ❤️

06/07/2026

In June of 2006, Mercy Chefs deployed for the very first time to Conklin, New York, after devastating flooding along the Delaware River impacted communities from New York all the way to North Carolina.

Chef Gary LeBlanc packed up his kitchen knives, loaded up his family, and headed north with a simple mission: to feed people; just go feed people. Partnering with a local church, that first deployment became an opportunity to prove that disaster relief meals could be more than just food. They could be chef-prepared, served safely, and look like love on a plate.

Twenty years later, that same mission continues to guide every deployment as we go feed body and soul. ❤

06/04/2026

For 20 years, Mercy Chefs has said "yes."

Yes to disasters. Yes to communities in crisis. Yes to serving hot, chef-prepared meals wherever they are needed most.

As we celebrate two decades of feeding body and soul, these numbers represent the lives touched, the volunteers who answered the call, and God's faithfulness every step of the way.

Address

711 Washington Street
Portsmouth, VA
23704

Telephone

+17572924264

Website

https://mercychefs.com/

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