Mercy Chefs CEO talks about humanitarian crisis in Ukraine

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – For more than a week now, Portsmouth-based Mercy Chefs has been at the Romanian border, welcoming thousands of refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine with hot meals and supplies. .

Founder and CEO Gary LeBlanc says what he’s seen and heard is like nothing he’s ever experienced before.

“The faces of the people here. The stories they are telling, are simply unbelievable. It’s something I’ve never heard of or been involved with in 16 years of disaster response,” LeBlanc said.

United Nations says more than 1.7 million people have fled the war in Ukrainein what it calls Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War Two.

In a video recently posted on Mercy Chefs’ Facebook page, LeBlanc detailed how people still in Ukraine focus on his team and partner organizations.

Every day, undamaged food and utensils are being sent to a warehouse in Suceava, Romania. In turn, those supplies are being sent into Ukraine. Supply chains in the country were paralyzed after the Russian invasion.

“It’s impressive how they’ve opened up their country,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc has asked to continue to pray for his team and the people of Ukraine. He said they would stay in Europe for as long as they could.

Click here to learn how to help the Mercy Chefs response in Ukraine.