Mercy Chefs On The Ground Making Hot Meals For Floridians
I remain in awe of the people and volunteer organizations who feed people on the scene of natural disasters. Here's an organization I didn't know about before, Mercy Chefs. (You can donate here.)
"More than 1.2 million people are without power in Florida, many residents of the county where I am and where Ian made landfall still have no running water. Finding your next meal under the circumstances is difficult," Ali Velshi said.
"But luckily, there are several volunteer groups who have come here to help feed those in need. Mercy Chefs was founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Now the organization is in Fort Myers where it serves thousands of hot meals and comfort to victims, to volunteers, to first responders. They plan on distributing up to 30,000 hot meals a day.
"With us now, Gary LeBlanc, founder and CEO of Mercy Chefs. He's a native of New Orleans. He started Mercy Chefs after seeing his hometown devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Since then, his organization has served over 22 millions in 27 states and 11 countries. His team was in Puerto Rico serving meals to victims of Hurricane Fiona.
"What I'm talking to people who have lost everything, their homes there, clothes, their money, their transportation, their vehicle, you can't think about your next decision until you've eaten. Food is what you are searching for, you will not move forward," Velshi said.