PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — For more than a week now, Portsmouth-based Mercy Chefs has been at the Romanian border, greeting the thousands of refugees fleeing war-stricken Ukraine with a hot meal and supplies.
Founder and CEO Gary LeBlanc said what he has seen and heard, is like nothing he has ever experienced before.
“The faces of the people here. The stories they are telling, it’s simply unbelievable. It’s nothing I have ever heard or relate to in 16 years disaster of response,” LeBlanc said.
The United Nations says more than 1.7 million people have fled the war in Ukraine, in what it calls Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II.
In a video posted recently to Mercy Chefs’ Facebook page, LeBlanc detailed how it’s also those still in Ukraine his team and partner organizations are focused on.
Each day, non-perishable food and supplies are being sent to a warehouse in Suceava, Romania. In turn, those supplies are being sent into Ukraine. Supply chain lines in the country have been crippled following Russia’s invasion.
“So impressive how they’ve opened their country,” LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc has asked for continued prayers for his team and the Ukrainian people. He said they will stay on the ground in Europe as long as it takes.
Click here to learn how to help Mercy Chefs’ response in Ukraine.