What We Do
Our Initiatives
Mercy Chefs was founded as a disaster relief organization—this remains our primary focus.
Beyond natural disasters and emergencies, we recognize a responsibility to utilize our equipment, resources, skills, and volunteers to meet pressing needs in communities year-round. When we’re not serving on the frontlines of a crisis, our team is actively engaged in 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—up to 20,000 meals a day—for victims, first responders, and volunteers.
Community Kitchens
Mercy Chefs’ CoFounder, Ann LeBlanc, inspired the development of our Community Kitchens and 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 country.
Food Insecurity Response
We have delivered millions of meals through grocery box distributions. The impact these groceries have made on people’s lives is unparalleled. We continue to find new ways to support food-insecure communities through job skills training, cooking classes, and budget-friendly recipes.
How We Serve
Making It Happen
Our work wouldn’t be possible without strong partnerships with local churches, fully equipped mobile kitchens, and the dedication of countless volunteers. Together, we can serve up to 20,000 hot, chef-prepared meals each 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 highlight their existing ministries as a beacon of hope for the community.
Mobile Kitchens
Mercy Chefs sets up our mobile kitchen, refrigerated trailer and a 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
Volunteers come alongside Mercy Chefs and our local ministry partners to meet community needs. Their service creates a lasting connection between the volunteers, those we serve and our local partners, strengthening the bond within the community and facilitating long-term ministry engagement.