Chefs cooking up food and kindness for those in need

TYLERTOWN, Miss. (WDAM) – It’s been a week now since nearly 20 tornadoes ravaged parts of Mississippi, and volunteer organizations remain on the ground in the impacted counties, helping provide necessities and assist in cleanup efforts.

One special nonprofit, Mercy Chefs, is focusing on keeping victims and volunteers fed in counties

“The damage here is just too utter,” said Gary LeBlanc, chief executive officer/founder of Mercy Chefs. “It was so spread out. In rural Mississippi, everybody has little enclaves here and there, but this storm was on the ground so long, it hit almost all of them.

“So, we are sending food out from a central location to three, different counties using a distribution system we’ve set up over the years to give hot meals to as many people as we can.”

Last week’s severe weather disrupted the lives of Mississippians all across the state.

With more than 800 homes damaged or destroyed, residents are in desperate need of basic necessities.

Mercy Chefs, currently set up in Tylertown is making sure those folks know, for now, where their next meal will come from.

“We serve high-quality, hand-crafted, chef-prepared meals,” LeBlanc said. “Tonight, we are doing pork loin with mashed potatoes and green beans. Earlier today, we had a chicken taco. All of our meals come with sides, vegetables, salads, a fresh baked dessert and a roll.

“We make meals that are familiar to people, something we’d sit around the table and eat as a family.”

Over the last 18 years, Mercy Chefs has served more than 28 million meals globally, assisting in more than 300 disasters.

From linemen restoring power to residents who have been left without a home, Mercy Chefs offers well-balanced and nutritious meals.

And, even though communities are grieving and putting pieces of their lives back together, LeBlanc said being able to come together in a time of need was huge.

“We believe very strongly that neighbors helping neighbors is the best way to recover and here in Mississippi, it’s incredible, the outpouring of folks (who) have come in to volunteer with us and drive meals to places and help our team as we do the cooking and the cleaning here,” LeBlanc said. “The folks in Mississippi are so wonderful, it is very exciting for me to see how they continue to love each other.”

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