CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The Mercy Chefs in Chesapeake are preparing to go to Florida to provide hot meals for those who may be heavily impacted by Hurricane Dorian.
On Friday, members of the Portsmouth organization loaded numerous boxes, tents, and kitchen appliances into a box truck and mobile kitchen.
A crew will drive the trucks from a facility at the Hampton Roads Executive Airport toward Florida beginning Saturday morning.
The Mercy Chefs will wait in the southern part of Georgia in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian. If the hurricane makes landfall, they’ll get to the hardest-hit areas of Florida within 24 hours.
On Friday, Chef Kristin Macan checked items off of a long list as she made sure they’re prepared to feed the people of Florida for days or even weeks.
“We are praying that the storm turns and we won't need to go, we're getting ready in case we need to but nobody wants this to happen,” said Macan.
If Hurricane Dorian brings severe damage to Florida, the Mercy Chefs will serve more than 10,000 restaurant-style, hot meals every day.
Once the chefs make it to Florida, they’ll rely on the help of up to 50 local volunteers to help them serve daily meals.
Macan said helping people during a time of need is a rewarding experience.
“They’re experiencing so much chaos but for just a second over a hot meal, they can become a normal family and hope and plans are restored in that space,” said Macan.
Gary LeBlanc, the founder of Mercy Chefs is already in Florida.
He and other members of the team have already prepared a kitchen in Panama City, Florida. LeBlanc said they also have a mobile kitchen staged in Birmingham, Alabama. Another large mobile kitchen will be driven to eastern Florida.
“Dorian is gonna be absolutely destructive wherever it hits,” said LeBlanc. “Right now we're planning things like fuel, groceries, and water and where we’re going to lodge our staff. [We’re] picking the best location where we can have the biggest impact, and watching the storm track so we can be flexible and fluid in our response.”
The mercy chefs served more than 100,000 hot meals in Florida year after Hurricane Michael made landfall.
LeBlanc said they’ll be ready to do it all over again if Hurricane Dorian causes devastating damage to the Sunshine State.
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