PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A Portsmouth-based organization that provides hot meals and responds to the sites of disasters across the world now has a sweet new ride.
Mercy Chefs announced Friday it was gifted a Land Rover Defender sports utility vehicle as a Community Service Award from a Virginia Beach dealership.
The organization was one of five charities across the nation to receive a free SUV to further work in the community.
“We are so excited to receive the new, highly dependable Land Rover Defender that will be put to work delivering food where it’s needed, often in hard-to-reach places," co-founders Gary and Ann LeBlanc said in a statement.
In order to qualify for the Land Rover, Mercy Chefs had to submit a video explaining why the organization needed it to help its efforts.
Locally, Mercy Chefs works to distribute groceries to those in need and thousands of meals per month from the group's Portsmouth Community Kitchen.
Beyond Virginia, volunteers have responded to ground zero for a number of tragedies to provide food amidst other uncertainties, including Turkey, which was recently rocked by a major earthquake that killed thousands.
The organization has also spent a considerable amount of time feeding Ukrainian refugees during the Russian invasion of their country.
