A disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization called Mercy Chefs is on its way to Dallas-Fort Worth, all the way from Virginia, loaded up to supply two things we need: hot meals and water.

Mercy Chefs, founded in 2006 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, visits communities around the country to serve professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals to victims, first responders, and volunteers in emergencies and natural disasters.

Beginning Friday, February 19, they'll be in Dallas and Fort Worth, following the extreme winter weather that has left communities without power and water this week. According to a release, the faith-based nonprofit also is working to provide clean drinking water in other parts of the state that have been hit hard by the storm.

Mercy Chefs has the capacity to serve more than 10,000 meals a day while in Texas and is preparing and distributing food from multiple locations.

In Dallas, Mercy Chefs will prepare meals from multiple kitchens, including The Cornerstone Kitchen, 2815 S. Ervay St., and 3015 at Trinity Groves, 3015 Gulden Ln. The team will distribute meals from those kitchens out into the Dallas community in the coming days. Exact details will be announced when the crews arrive in town.

They'll also be in north Fort Worth, an area that has been largely without power and under a boil advisory for most of this week. Mercy Chefs will serve dinner beginning at 4 pm Friday from a large mobile kitchen based at Gateway Church North Fort Worth Campus, 4209 Basswood Blvd., at the intersection with Beach Street.

Then the schedule at Gateway will be:

• Saturday, February 20, 12-2 pm (lunch); 4-6 pm (dinner)
• Sunday, February 21, 12-2 pm (lunch); 4-6 pm (dinner)
• Monday, February 22, 12-2 pm (lunch); 4-6 pm (dinner)

Additional days may be added as needed, a spokeswoman says. Meals are available while supplies last.

Meals are free and first-come, first-served; no registration required.

“This winter storm has affected so many people over such a widespread area in communities that simply aren’t prepared for this kind of weather – we’ve never seen anything like it,” said Gary LeBlanc, founder of Mercy Chefs, in a statement. “We anticipate a great need, and we are responding with the ability to prepare thousands of meals each day to help those in crisis.”

Mercy Chefs has served over 10 million meals since its founding in 2006, including 7 million meals in response to the coronavirus pandemic across the country since March.

According to this story from a Portsmouth, Virginia TV station, the organization has received received more than 20 requests for help between Dallas, Texas, and Oklahoma since Tuesday night.

Follow Mercy Chefs’ Facebook page for updates.