July 2019 Featured Interview
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Interview with
Ann LeBlanc
Co-founder of Mercy Chefs
Photo Credit: Mercy Chefs
About Ann:
Ann LeBlanc is the co-founder and Vice President of Marketing and Development for Mercy Chefs. Mercy Chefs is a nonprofit, disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization. In addition to her role as vice president, Ann also served on the founding board of Mercy Chefs and has been a part of the organization since the first deployment to Conklin, New York in 2006.
Throughout her journey with Mercy Chefs, her passion has been to provide children with nutrition and joy in the midst of disaster. In the early days, she consistently requested to see “more green” on the plates Mercy Chefs served, and she focuses on providing a sense of normalcy to the children by providing coloring stations on site and bringing toys and activities for them to enjoy.
Prior to joining Mercy Chefs full-time, Ann gained 25 years combined experience at The Christian Broadcasting Network and Regent University in executive level leadership in fundraising, event planning, and marketing. She continues working with Regent University’s alumni office today.
Ann and her husband, Gary, have five children.
About Mercy Chefs:
Mercy Chefs is a 501c3 which was founded in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The organization exists to provide professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals to victims, volunteers and first responders in natural disasters and national emergencies. The organization also performs ongoing community outreach to support low-income communities and homeless populations within the United States and delivers and installs water purification systems in international communities where access to potable water is limited or obsolete.
In 2015, Mercy Chefs received both the Virginia Governor’s Volunteerism Award and the Hampton Roads Volunteer Achievement Award for its service. The organization relies on support from corporate partners, such as Sterno, Cabot Creamery and BKI Worldwide, which support Mercy Chefs throughout the year with funding and in-kind donations.
Ann LeBlanc is the co-founder and Vice President of Marketing and Development for Mercy Chefs. Mercy Chefs is a nonprofit, disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization. In addition to her role as vice president, Ann also served on the founding board of Mercy Chefs and has been a part of the organization since the first deployment to Conklin, New York in 2006.
Throughout her journey with Mercy Chefs, her passion has been to provide children with nutrition and joy in the midst of disaster. In the early days, she consistently requested to see “more green” on the plates Mercy Chefs served, and she focuses on providing a sense of normalcy to the children by providing coloring stations on site and bringing toys and activities for them to enjoy.
Prior to joining Mercy Chefs full-time, Ann gained 25 years combined experience at The Christian Broadcasting Network and Regent University in executive level leadership in fundraising, event planning, and marketing. She continues working with Regent University’s alumni office today.
Ann and her husband, Gary, have five children.
About Mercy Chefs:
Mercy Chefs is a 501c3 which was founded in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The organization exists to provide professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals to victims, volunteers and first responders in natural disasters and national emergencies. The organization also performs ongoing community outreach to support low-income communities and homeless populations within the United States and delivers and installs water purification systems in international communities where access to potable water is limited or obsolete.
In 2015, Mercy Chefs received both the Virginia Governor’s Volunteerism Award and the Hampton Roads Volunteer Achievement Award for its service. The organization relies on support from corporate partners, such as Sterno, Cabot Creamery and BKI Worldwide, which support Mercy Chefs throughout the year with funding and in-kind donations.
Myrna Beth Haskell, managing editor, spoke with Ann about the inspiration behind founding Mercy Chefs, her role as vice president, and the various services the nonprofit offers communities and individuals experiencing extreme hardship in the wake of disaster.
Please walk me through the beginning. Your husband was helping out in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina*, right? I see that he has a wealth of experience in the food industry as a chef, caterer, food and beverage manager and restaurant owner. What did he witness there that inspired Mercy Chefs?
My husband [Gary LeBlanc, co-founder and president] had worked in New Orleans for 18 years in the industry (hotel/restaurant businesses). We had moved from New Orleans at least ten years before Katrina hit, but we were seeing these images in the news which were just devastating. My husband recognized people he had worked with…stranded amongst so many others…and he was compelled to go and offer his assistance. He helped another organization get a kitchen in place to feed as many affected people as possible.
New Orleans is a place that touts its hospitality. But what he saw there was just the opposite. Food safety standards were not being followed. The food was being heated too quickly, and hot meals were scarce…it was mostly cold food. Ten days after the storm, people still hadn’t been rescued…and, when they finally arrived for help, you wanted to be able to give them the best you had to offer.
After he came home…he couldn’t shake the experience…the devastation was just incomprehensible. He wanted to do better, to build a mobile kitchen that could feed thousands. He took his ideas to other relief organizations to see if he could partner with them, but they weren’t interested. So, he decided to move forward anyway. I wasn’t as sure about it. We were in this ‘sweet spot’ of our journey. For the first ten years of our marriage, we moved nine times. We were finally settled, but he wanted to switch gears and leave his current job to start a nonprofit…something brand new. It was scary.
For the first six years, he kept his job. After that, he started working with Mercy Chefs full-time.
*Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 storm that made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast in August 2006.
What is your role with the organization?
I am Vice President of Marketing and Donor Development. My career background includes a lot of experience with nonprofit organizations. Before Mercy Chefs, I worked for 25 years in fundraising and marketing. At first, I only worked part-time for Mercy Chefs because I was still very involved with another organization. Now, I work for Mercy Chefs full-time.
Please walk me through the beginning. Your husband was helping out in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina*, right? I see that he has a wealth of experience in the food industry as a chef, caterer, food and beverage manager and restaurant owner. What did he witness there that inspired Mercy Chefs?
My husband [Gary LeBlanc, co-founder and president] had worked in New Orleans for 18 years in the industry (hotel/restaurant businesses). We had moved from New Orleans at least ten years before Katrina hit, but we were seeing these images in the news which were just devastating. My husband recognized people he had worked with…stranded amongst so many others…and he was compelled to go and offer his assistance. He helped another organization get a kitchen in place to feed as many affected people as possible.
New Orleans is a place that touts its hospitality. But what he saw there was just the opposite. Food safety standards were not being followed. The food was being heated too quickly, and hot meals were scarce…it was mostly cold food. Ten days after the storm, people still hadn’t been rescued…and, when they finally arrived for help, you wanted to be able to give them the best you had to offer.
After he came home…he couldn’t shake the experience…the devastation was just incomprehensible. He wanted to do better, to build a mobile kitchen that could feed thousands. He took his ideas to other relief organizations to see if he could partner with them, but they weren’t interested. So, he decided to move forward anyway. I wasn’t as sure about it. We were in this ‘sweet spot’ of our journey. For the first ten years of our marriage, we moved nine times. We were finally settled, but he wanted to switch gears and leave his current job to start a nonprofit…something brand new. It was scary.
For the first six years, he kept his job. After that, he started working with Mercy Chefs full-time.
*Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 storm that made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast in August 2006.
What is your role with the organization?
I am Vice President of Marketing and Donor Development. My career background includes a lot of experience with nonprofit organizations. Before Mercy Chefs, I worked for 25 years in fundraising and marketing. At first, I only worked part-time for Mercy Chefs because I was still very involved with another organization. Now, I work for Mercy Chefs full-time.
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What does Mercy Chefs do to streamline and facilitate the process in order to help as many people as possible during their time of need?
Gary had spent several years out of the kitchen in managerial positions. Plus, he had a lot of banquet experience, so he was used to feeding lot of people at once. Over the years, he learned a lot of tips and tricks for large-scale meal preparation. He also understands that the quality can still be there. One of the best pieces of equipment we use is called a tilt skillet. It’s a massive rectangle with a paddle to crank the tilt. It can mix at least 50 gallons of pasta, potatoes, soup, etc. Another trick: We use huge coolers to pour meat sauce…which makes it more manageable. One of the hallmarks of Mercy Chefs is our fresh salad. We pride ourselves on serving nutritious, well-balanced meals with fresh or frozen vegetables, such as green beans. We don’t use canned foods. From an early age, Gary learned from his Cajun grandmother that ‘food is love.’ What better way to show that love than to feed masses devastated by tragedy? |
Gary and Ann Working Together at a Deployment
Photo Credit: Mercy Chefs |
Most of the volunteers who help with the food preparation don’t have professional experience, correct? What’s the process for getting them onboard and up to speed? Are there always professional chefs in charge?
We have two managing chefs and one director of community outreach. One of these positions can serve as site manager…or Gary can do it. The manager sets up the site and instructs the volunteers. We also have a great group of core certified chefs that come from all over the U.S. to help us when needed.
It’s pretty amazing…it’s a well-oiled machine. Gary has front and back of house experience, and I have front of house experience (setting up plating, etc.).
We have two managing chefs and one director of community outreach. One of these positions can serve as site manager…or Gary can do it. The manager sets up the site and instructs the volunteers. We also have a great group of core certified chefs that come from all over the U.S. to help us when needed.
It’s pretty amazing…it’s a well-oiled machine. Gary has front and back of house experience, and I have front of house experience (setting up plating, etc.).
Serving Meals in Panama City, FL in one of its Deployments to the Area
After Hurricane Michael Photo Credit: Mercy Chefs |
Is it a daunting task to mobilize volunteers during a disaster? How do you prepare for this?
Sometimes it can be hard. When we don’t have the necessary help, we’re exhausted. We ask local organizations to work with us, such as churches and other community groups, before we go to a location. Help from local organizations makes a big difference. But we also get help from people who will drive for four to five hours to get to us. So, one of our goals is to make their volunteer experience a very positive one. The hurricane* that hit Panama City, FL was truly devastating, and it’s still bad there. But it’s gotten the least amount of press exposure compared to other disasters, even though it is the fourth strongest hurricane to have made landfall in the U.S. We had 2,000 people line up for food, and we had five to six satellite locations. 300 to 500 meals were sent in vehicles to other locations. The devastation was so widespread that we were delivering meals 40 minutes to an hour away – we used Sterno products and insulated, food delivery bags to get the food to these more remote locations. We served 100,000 meals in Florida last October. |
*Hurricane Michael: The National Hurricane Center scientists conducted a detailed post-storm analysis for Hurricane Michael, which made landfall on Oct. 10, 2018. They've determined that its estimated intensity at landfall was 160 mph. – a category 5 hurricane.
Outside of immediate assistance with natural disasters and national emergencies, you also use your equipment, resources, skills and volunteers to meet additional needs of struggling communities, such as permanent kitchens, community outreach among homeless populations, and delivering and installing water purification systems. Could you elaborate on some of these other services?
We just opened a community kitchen in Portsmouth, VA. This is in our backyard. We are feeding people in the local community – not just victims of disasters – but others who are in desperate situations…for many, life can be a disaster.
In Panama City, we set up a community kitchen* to feed the children there. This helps to fulfill a long-term need of a community which is still suffering. At the time of the storm, 67% of the kids in this area were eligible for free or reduced price lunch, and after the storm it went up to 85%. When schools are closed, these kids still need meals and many are now homeless...so we help to take care of the gap there. If a child is in the program, we feed his/her whole family.
*Mercy Chefs is serving dinner Tuesday through Sunday out of a kitchen at Oscar Patterson Elementary School. In addition to meal service, Mercy Chefs is converting unused classrooms into a dormitory that volunteers can use instead of paying for a hotel room.
Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017. Your organization has been providing potable water to several communities there. Could you explain further?
Mercy Chefs was on the ground for a whole year in Puerto Rico. We set up three permanent kitchens in three places on the island. One of those locations added a bunk house where volunteers are housed dormitory style, and we helped pay for that. We had purified water systems* mounted on a truck and several other mobile units, so people could come for clean water.
*Mercy Chefs delivers and installs water purification systems and individual purification straws in communities where access to potable water is limited or obsolete. Once installed, each system is able to provide potable water for an entire village. Every straw distributed is able to provide a six-month supply of clean drinking water for an individual. (Find out more from the Mercy Chefs website.)
What are the current needs of the organization?
We are 100% donor funded, and we need these funds to continue to do what we do. We want everyone to know that when we serve food, we are feeding people both body and soul. So many just need someone to care, and there’s nothing more fulfilling. It’s humbling work. You put food in a box for someone, and they start to cry…it may be the first meal they’ve had in seven days.
I was in Cracker Barrel once [in a location where Mercy Chefs was helping with relief services], and this girl at the checkout register noticed my Mercy Chefs shirt. She got very emotional and said, ‘When you all drove in, we knew it was going to be okay.’
Where do you find sanctuary? (#WheresYourSanctuary)
Just being together with family – firing up the barbecue and sharing laughter. My faith is also a sanctuary for me. In the morning, I meditate on God’s plan for me for the day.
We just opened a community kitchen in Portsmouth, VA. This is in our backyard. We are feeding people in the local community – not just victims of disasters – but others who are in desperate situations…for many, life can be a disaster.
In Panama City, we set up a community kitchen* to feed the children there. This helps to fulfill a long-term need of a community which is still suffering. At the time of the storm, 67% of the kids in this area were eligible for free or reduced price lunch, and after the storm it went up to 85%. When schools are closed, these kids still need meals and many are now homeless...so we help to take care of the gap there. If a child is in the program, we feed his/her whole family.
*Mercy Chefs is serving dinner Tuesday through Sunday out of a kitchen at Oscar Patterson Elementary School. In addition to meal service, Mercy Chefs is converting unused classrooms into a dormitory that volunteers can use instead of paying for a hotel room.
Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017. Your organization has been providing potable water to several communities there. Could you explain further?
Mercy Chefs was on the ground for a whole year in Puerto Rico. We set up three permanent kitchens in three places on the island. One of those locations added a bunk house where volunteers are housed dormitory style, and we helped pay for that. We had purified water systems* mounted on a truck and several other mobile units, so people could come for clean water.
*Mercy Chefs delivers and installs water purification systems and individual purification straws in communities where access to potable water is limited or obsolete. Once installed, each system is able to provide potable water for an entire village. Every straw distributed is able to provide a six-month supply of clean drinking water for an individual. (Find out more from the Mercy Chefs website.)
What are the current needs of the organization?
We are 100% donor funded, and we need these funds to continue to do what we do. We want everyone to know that when we serve food, we are feeding people both body and soul. So many just need someone to care, and there’s nothing more fulfilling. It’s humbling work. You put food in a box for someone, and they start to cry…it may be the first meal they’ve had in seven days.
I was in Cracker Barrel once [in a location where Mercy Chefs was helping with relief services], and this girl at the checkout register noticed my Mercy Chefs shirt. She got very emotional and said, ‘When you all drove in, we knew it was going to be okay.’
Where do you find sanctuary? (#WheresYourSanctuary)
Just being together with family – firing up the barbecue and sharing laughter. My faith is also a sanctuary for me. In the morning, I meditate on God’s plan for me for the day.
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A MERCY CHEFS' ORPHANAGE KITCHEN BURNS DOWN
A kitchen fire destroyed one of Mercy Chefs' first community kitchens in Haiti a few months ago. The organization is working on plans to rebuild.
The fire appears to have been caused by an electrical issue or equipment malfunction. Fortunately, there was no loss of life. There is no fire department to speak of in Haiti. An American firefighter who happened to be in residence at the mission did everything in his power to stop the blaze, but with no firefighting equipment or emergency support, he was limited in his response. The kitchen provided 850,000 meals to mission workers and staff and is responsible for another 1.6 million meals for the Haitian community. That is why it is absolutely imperative that Mercy Chefs rebuild the new kitchen to the highest standards - to ensure safety and to support the increased demand. |
