Mercy Chefs: Serving up high-quality meals and plenty of hope during time of war in Israel

In the aftermath of the horrific surprise invasion and brutal assault by the Hamas terror group upon the civilian population in Israel on Oct. 7, there is an organization committed to comforting those in pain and distress and, in some cases, unable to take care of basic needs, such as purchasing groceries and preparing meals.

Mercy Chefs, a faith-based nonprofit organization, has literally stepped into Israel’s battleground to provide hot, fresh and nutritious meals to those who have been affected the most by the catastrophic attack, which has resulted in at least 1,400 deaths and more than 240 hostages being held captive in the Gaza Strip by Hamas terrorists and its allies.

Carl Ladd, the vice president of Global Operations for Mercy Chefs, spoke with Paul Calvert, a Christian journalist based in the Middle East.

Ladd said that Mercy Chefs is honored to provide chef-prepared, high-quality meals for families and individuals in the middle of the current crisis in Israel, even in the midst of the chaos.

“We believe that a lot can happen over a hot meal, and it’s kind of at a moment of time for them, to meet their immediate physical needs,” Ladd said. “You know, we all need to eat and oftentimes in those crises, our  normal means of getting food, or making food, or preparing the meal – these things become difficult and challenging for families to do.”

Mercy Chefs is based in the Tel Aviv area now and Ladd explained that they always partner with local organizations or ministries. They believe that providing meals in these circumstances is more than just meeting the need to feed the body, but that it also fills people with hope and a sense of normalcy.

Mercy Chef’s began in 2006, when its founder, well-known chef Gary LeBlanc, wanted to help people who were affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana. He corresponded with other organizations and learned that the food that was being provided for the Hurricane victims was low quality – soup out of cans or hot dogs.

“But there's no dignity in it,” Ladd said, noting that Mercy Chefs desires to bring hope to those in Israel who are suffering.

“He wasn't proud of what was being delivered. And so he said there's gotta be a better way to do this,” Ladd said of Leblanc. “So he just started doing it himself, you know, running his own credit card and just making it happen, with some friends.”

Since then, the Mercy Chefs has grown to where there are over a dozen different nations around the world responding to dozens of different incidents every year, representing millions of meals.

Ladd said his team arrived in Israel on Oct. 9, just two days after the war began.

“Our heart is to serve wherever there's a need and wherever people are hurting. And so we're here. We're honored to be able to. To serve in the midst of this crisis of this conflict that's happening. To serve Israelis that are hurting and in pain both, you know, physical and the trauma of it,” Ladd said.

The majority of the meals are going to Ashkelon, where people have continued to enter their safety shelters regularly in response to sirens sending alerts about incoming rockets.

“Instead of them having to just eat what they can get or out of cans or pre-made food, we’re honored to bring them hot, delicious dinners that they can sit down with their families. And, you know, we've gotten to build friendships with them over these three weeks. But, you know, that's why we're here and we're honored to partner with the local Israeli organizations.”

Ladd, who is in charge of the program and logistics, said the local organizations are the 'hands and feet' that make Mercy Chefs a success and a blessing – in fact, Mercy Chefs has been cooking about 1,700 meals every day.

“We're able to bring in a couple of our chefs with the expertise on how to produce, you know, high quality, but high quantity meals. And then have those local organizations and congregations being the ones to actually make the deliveries that bring it to the people that need it most.

The Mercy Chef staff has been experiencing the direct effects of being in Israel during a time of war.

“We often have to hang out in those bomb shelters longer than we anticipated because the rocket barrage is coming,” Ladd explained. “It's just a small taste of what those people are actually living through every day.”

Ladd described what it has been like to be shopping for supplies when a siren alert is sounded and citizens head for cover.

“Everybody kind of is very helpful, and kind of shows you where the closest shelter is and you go, and you shelter complete strangers. And then have a moment together and the sirens stop and you're able to go about your business. And it's a weird thing, but it's also, you know, we have the honor of being able to respond to conflict zones, war zones all over the world,” Ladd said.

Regarding the current war that began with Hamas terrorists infiltrating Israel’s southern border with Gaza, Ladd said it is challenging to see humans doing this to other humans.

“It's hard to reconcile…in your brain, and at the same time you see the most beautiful generosity of humans as well, and people from different backgrounds, you know, and different languages and different religions coming together and linking arms and serving together, serving one another.”

In addition to helping those affected by the events of Oct. 7, Mercy Chefs has also been providing meals for emergency responders on a smaller scale as needs and opportunities arise.

“Oftentimes those people that are in pain and laying their lives down during these moments, they need help as well, and support for the families that are left. You know, for the moms that are now scrambling because their husbands are gone or have been called up, and how we can support them as well?” Ladd said.

He explained that Mercy Chefs is actively trying to show the love of Christ to their Jewish neighbors

“I am a Christian and I firmly believe that my King Jesus would be serving His neighbors, His loved ones, and even His enemies,” Ladd said.

“You know, He served, he loved, he went low. He was humble,” Ladd added, “and so our goal is –we don't wanna have an agenda with what we do – but we know that what we do has an impact.”

“Just handing somebody a hot meal and just letting them know that, you know, I care, the world cares that they're not alone in this. And it has a significant impact, I believe.”

Ladd said that sometimes the meals are being received with tears of gratitude, crying because it’s the first real meal they have had in days and that faces just light up with smiles. Yeah, we just see people overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness.”

On the other hand, Ladd said sometimes people act a bit suspicious and puzzled as to why Mercy Chefs is doing what they are doing..

“When we’re at the grocery store and people ask me like, ‘What, what are you doing?’ Like, ‘Why are you buying 500 kilograms of chicken?’ like, ‘What is this for? or people are like, ‘You came for the war… you came when this happened? So, there's this puzzled look, but always gratitude and gratefulness.”

Ladd said that people who receive the meals often share their stories with the Mercy Chef teams, which he called “truly, truly magic.”

“What these people lived through, what the children are experiencing and living through, and what's becoming ‘normal’ for these children through the tragic,” he said. “This is a dangerous and difficult time.

Ladd said Mercy Chefs is here because this is what we are called to do as the body of Christ.

“It's the moments like these that we actually get to see our God shine the most. And you know, there's that old saying that says: ‘The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.’ And so if we let fear or inconvenience or, you know, the possibility of danger hold us back from doing what we know is right or meeting needs.. that is evident in front of us – that's a way to lose, not win.”

“And for me personally, I've encountered my God the most in the midst of crisis, in the midst of chaos, in the midst of devastation and storm. You know, whether it be a political storm or natural storm, or the storm of conflict and war, our God is the Lord of the storm and He's there,” Ladd said.

Referring to what we learn about Jesus in the stories of the Bible, Ladd said: “Walking on the water –  He didn't do that on a calm day. He did that in the midst of a storm. And he invited his disciples to come out into that storm with Him. He didn't calm the storm and say, ‘OK, now you can come; the danger is gone. You know, when Peter walked on the water with Jesus, it was in the midst of the waves. It was in the midst of the wind.”

“I think there is an opportunity – an invitation for us as believers to step into these moments of danger, during chaos and partner with God to see him glorified somehow in the midst of it.”

Ladd told Calvert that his prayer is for the Lord’s goodness to prevail in the current war between Israel and the Hamas terror organization.

“So many times, we see moments like this mark generations. And we see this repetitive thing happen and my prayer is that somehow the Lord would use this moment to mark generations, not in a way that causes them to prolong this or do this further, but mark a generation…to stop these things from happening. To be motivated by compassion and love.”

To learn more about Mercy Chefs, visit their website.