Virginia-based disaster relief org delivering meals to Valley

A Virginia-based disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization will soon be in the Rio Grande Valley to serve meals to victims, volunteers and first responders of Hurricane Hanna.

Mercy Chefs of Portsmouth, Virginia provides meals described in a news release Tuesday as “restaurant-quality” to victims and first responders in emergencies and natural disasters.

According to the release, Mercy Chefs will be delivering meals throughout McAllen, Mission, Palmview and Sullivan City in the wake of Hurricane Hanna, which dumped more than 15 inches of rain and caused extreme flooding throughout the Valley over the weekend.

Megan Irvin, who handles public relations for Mercy Chefs, said that due to the pandemic, the organization will be delivering the meals to needy families instead of their traditional meal service.

She said that the organization has been in contact with local partners in order to get the meals to those in need.

“These are communities that are near and dear to our hearts,” Gary LeBlanc, founder of Mercy Chefs, said in the release. “We are devastated to hear of the impact the flooding is having on our friends, but we will do everything we can to ensure they can count on healthy and nutritious meals as they start to put the pieces back together.”

The organization was founded in 2006. According to the release, Mercy Chefs have served nearly 3 million meals in response to the coronavirus pandemic across the country since mid-March. Mercy Chefs served its 5 millionth meal just last week.

Anyone in need of help is encouraged to contact Mercy Chefs by emailing [email protected].

Updates about Mercy Chefs’ latest relief efforts can also be found via their website, www.mercychefs.com, and Facebook page.