PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton Roads-based humanitarian relief organization Mercy Chefs has been providing recovery efforts in Louisiana since Hurricane Francine made landfall almost a week ago.

Thousands were left without power and many neighborhoods filled with flood waters. Mercy Chefs has been stationed in Houma, a low-lying city still recovering from Hurricane Ida’s impact in 2021.

Many who have had no access to working electricity were forced to toss out hundreds of dollars worth of food from their refrigerators. In the meantime, dozens of volunteers, including some from Virginia, stepped in to provide hot plates during lunch and dinner.

“If you can imagine a community that already is living paycheck to paycheck and struggling economically as this area is down here in the bayous of Louisiana, it’s devastating,” said Mercy Chefs co-founder Ann LeBlanc. “We’ve served over 20,000 meals at this point. So it’s been a lot for this small area. The population here is tremendous, but it’s been a real joy to serve. You know, something amazing happens over a meal that’s prepared with love.”

While an estimated 40 homes were completely destroyed in the storm, LeBlanc says the good news is that power has been restored to most of the area.

“Our numbers dropped pretty dramatically yesterday, which is a good sign,” LeBlanc said. “We never like to stay past the point of businesses, grocery stores and restaurants operating because that hurts, and that hurts a community as well. Businesses aren’t able to thrive after they’ve lost a couple of days of being open, so providing free meals is more of a detriment after a certain amount of time.”

Tuesday marked the final day for Mercy Chefs recovery efforts in Louisiana. For information on signing up to volunteer with Mercy Chefs, visit mercychefs.com.