By Paul Greeley
817-578-6324, Paul@NewsBlues.com

WAVY, Nexstar’s NBC affiliate in Portsmouth, Virginia, raised almost $7,000 to benefit Mercy Chefs, the Portsmouth-based nonprofit providing hot, chef-prepared meals to disaster survivors and first responders.

Partnering with Chesapeake Bank, WAVY’s “Help from Hampton Roads” campaign rallied Hampton Roads viewers to answer an urgent call for support as Mercy Chefs continues relief operations in Kerr County, Texas and Western North Carolina—an area devastated by catastrophic natural disasters.

In Kerr County alone, more than 100 lives have been lost, including at least 30 children. On the ground, Mercy Chefs is serving thousands of hot meals to survivors, many of whom have lost their homes, while also preparing family grocery boxes to sustain those in crisis.

In addition to Kerr County, Mercy Chefs is still serving thousands of meals each week in Western North Carolina, where recovery from last year’s flooding continues. They also operate permanent community kitchens in cities like Portsmouth, Nashville, Richmond, Tampa, and St. Louis, and are planning additional locations to prepare for future disasters.

“This is what Hampton Roads does best,” says Carol Ward, WAVY’s GM. “When we see a need, we step up. With Chesapeake Bank’s partnership, our viewers gave Mercy Chefs the resources to keep doing what they do best—showing up and serving with compassion.”

The funds raised by Help from Hampton Roads will help cover the high costs of relief operations, including groceries, transportation, and supplies.

Mercy Chefs’ teams remain in disaster zones for as long as they are needed—sometimes months—providing consistent, reliable nourishment to communities during recovery.

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