LONDON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A non-profit from Virginia traveled to Laurel County to offer a warm home-cooked meal to help those during these devastating times.
It's been 48 hours since an EF-3 tornado ripped through Laurel County Friday night. People in London, including Jordyne Carmack, a member of the Faith Assembly Church, continues to pick up the pieces left behind.
“So I live right next to the airport on the other side from where it hit the Miller Lane and that group over there, so we saw it coming down the runway," explains Carmack. "We held on real tight to our four-year-old and prayed.”
Now, Carmack is doing everything she can to give back to the community. "As we were going through and finding baby photos and cracked frames and salvaging those. Seeing branches where floors should have been, their house was brought down to the sub floor. There is nothing like seeing it. The videos of the devastation show you the scale and the scope, but it’s the minute details that are the most heartbreaking.”
One of the ways she's giving back to the community is through Mercy Chefs, a non-profit out of Virginia that traveled to Laurel County the moment they knew storms were going to damage the town.
Mercy Chefs was founded by Gary LeBlanc a year after Katrina hit. Since then, the organization has traveled all over to help people through devastating times.
“You know we always say something amazing happens over a shared meal and we want to do that at the point of need. So we’ll be going out into the community and into the surrounding areas," shares LeBlanc. “We hear tragic stories, obviously there are people here that have lost loved ones. Almost everybody knows somebody that's lost someone in the storm and it’s just tragic. Those folks need a moment to consider what they’ve just been through. They need a moment that they can think about hope and moving forward.”
LeBlanc says from fajitas to pasta bakes and even warm apple crumble, everything is made fresh with local ingredients. Nearly 60 volunteers help create these meals, and heater bags keep it warm and fresh for people to consume.
On Sunday, LeBlanc says 500 lunches and more than a thousand dinners were served to the community, first responders, and volunteers.
“Mercy Chefs will stay here as long as we’re needed. The pastor and I have had that conversation. We’re not gonna leave until he tells me it’s okay for us to leave and so we’re gonna be here as long as the need is here," said LeBlanc.
“We’re Laurel County Strong. We’re Appalachian Strong. And what we do whenever there’s a disaster is come together no matter what we’ve been facing. No matter what parties are involved, we know that we come together and we serve our community and that’s what we do," said Carmack.
If you'd like to volunteer or donate, you can visit their website for more information.
