Three workers helping to deliver meals to frontline Ukrainian communities for the Portsmouth-based Mercy Chefs aid group narrowly escaped a drone attack on Monday.

The team was returning from a frontline food delivery when an elderly man on a bicycle alerted them that a drone was approaching, according to Gary LeBlanc, CEO and founder of Mercy Chefs. The workers fled before the truck was struck. All three and the bicyclist escaped without injury, LeBlanc said.

“While we’re deeply thankful for their safety, our truck was completely destroyed,” according to a post on the nonprofit organization’s Facebook page, which included a video showing the truck burning on the side of a road. “This vehicle was essential for delivering food and supplies to families trapped in war zones, and we urgently need to replace it to continue serving those in desperate need.”

The workers, all Ukrainian citizens who are partnering with Mercy Chefs, were back delivering meals Tuesday using the delivery trucks they still have, according to LeBlanc. But the group needs to replace the destroyed truck, he said, which will cost between $25,000 to $30,000, and are asking for donations from the public.

Mercy Chefs staff from the United States have been in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022, and are aided by Ukrainian citizens, LeBlanc said.

The teams serve about 16,000 hot, restaurant-quality meals each month, and have provided almost 5.5 million since the war began. The group also provides groceries and water, and gives Christmas boxes to children who are separated from, or have lost, their families to the war. They also seek to get residents out of areas in danger of being taken over by Russian troops.

Those who would like to donate to Mercy Chefs to help replace its truck can go to this link.

Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/10/15/mercy-chefs-aid-truck-wrecked/