Two Hampton Roads organizations, Portsmouth-based Mercy Chefs and Operation Blessing out of Virginia Beach, have spent nearly a full year in Eastern Europe providing emergency relief to Ukranian War refugees and survivors.
365 days later, Mercy Chefs says they never had any clue what Russia's war on Ukraine would turn into.
"We had no idea that it would turn into the massive operation that it did," said Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs' lead chef and CEO. "I thought we'd throw up a field kitchen and cook some meals."
LeBlanc says his organization has delivered 4.5 million pounds of food to refugees and is now moving further into Ukraine.
"We are now transitioning to sourcing product inside of Ukraine as some of the supply chains there are working better," LeBlanc explained. "The lines to get across the border into Romania have gotten as long as 10 days sometimes."
Mercy Chefs is also focusing on assisting war survivors who may be unreachable by other organizations.
"Our relief has gone to places where none of the international organizations have been able to get to. Maybe we're smaller, maybe we're more nimble," LeBlac said. "We discovered one village that has well over 200, almost 300, families that have lost their husbands to the war."
And while the war is taking a toll on the mental and physical health of LeBlanc's team, he says several members of Mercy Chefs won't leave Ukraine until the work is done.
"Our team has certainly been in harm's way, many times," he said. "The war in Ukraine has affected our whole team very deeply. And it's part of who we are now. And we won't leave until the job is done."
Operation Blessing, a Virginia Beach-based organization, deployed in March of 2022 to assist Ukraine.
The organization says they recently established a permanent office in Warsaw, Poland to help Ukrainians fleeing their homeland.
"We're not there short term, we're going to be there for a long period of time," said Drew Friedrich, the chief operating officer of Operation Blessing. "The rebuilding process is going to be significant."
Operation Blessing says they have distributed 136 truckloads carrying more than 1.5 million pounds of food and relief supplies to assist over 100 organizations in Ukraine. One of those organizations is Orphan's Promise, which is helping kids find permanent homes and process the trauma of war.
"These Ukrainian kids have had their childhood stolen from them," said Friedrich. "We believe that as Operation Blessing and Orphan's Promise, we have a chance to give them back their childhood by putting them in a safe environment."
While Operation Blessing's goals initially involved immediate emergency relief, Friedrich says their focus has shifted to long-term solutions.
"Things have shifted and went from refugee relief at the border to more kind of a long-term look at how we deliver supplies, food, and aid to people who are not sure how long they're going to be displaced," he explained. "[The people] are beginning to settle into some more permanent situations, but don't have the ability to work, don't have schools set up for their kids, don't have secure housing for long periods of time. Sometimes they don't even have their paperwork in order."
The Virginia Beach organization is also working on mental health treatment for refugees.
"We have groups for young mothers, where they sit with our team and they can talk about the way they're feeling," said Friedrich. "The things these kids have seen and heard and experienced on their journey into Poland, for example, that's not something that you can just sort of brush off."
Both Operation Blessing and Mercy Chefs say Hampton Roads should take pride in knowing their residents are making a true difference in Ukraine's fight for freedom.
"These people are very much alike you and I. They have the same cares, the same concerns, and the same desires for their children and their futures that we do," said Friedrich. "When you give from here in Hampton Roads, that impact is felt in Ukraine and in Poland. We take your love with us when we go."
Both organizations rely on donations to make an impact overseas. You can donate to Operation Blessing here and Mercy Chefs here.
