Halfway through 2020, what word would you use to describe this year?

2020: A year of __________

Perhaps "tension"? Or "shutdown"? Or "COVID-19"? Or "turmoil"?

In recent years at the start of the year, the Lord has given me a word for Mercy Chefs. Over the past three years, those words were "advance" and "surge" and "pursue." At the beginning of this year, the word was very clear...

Yesterday, Mercy Chefs reached a major milestone...

Our team just provided the THREE-MILLIONTH meal in the history of Mercy Chefs!

Go here to see a video and report I've prepared.

What makes this milestone so astounding is that just last year, we served our two-millionth meal. It took over 10 years to serve our first million meals. Then, the pace of ministry accelerated and we served our next million meals in just three years. Over the past year, the pace has increased exponentially -- especially in the past few months. Yesterday, we served our 3 millionth meal.

Thursday A.M.

In the midst of incredible need in tornado-ravaged Chattanooga, we're also experiencing God's faithfulness in many ways. See below for a heartwarming story from a church that was severely damaged in one of the hardest hit areas. And go here to help Mercy Chefs continue to meet this critical need. --Gary

The need in Chattanooga in response to the massive EF-4 tornado continues to push our team to our limits.

As I shared with you, on Monday we started feeding homeless families who have been temporarily relocated to seven hotels in the region. They are often packed five or six to a room, and getting these Mercy Chefs meals is a highlight of their day.

I’m coming to you with a personal request...

Specifically, I need your help between now and the end of this year.

That’s because some faithful friends of Mercy Chefs have stepped forward and extended a $40,000 Matching Challenge Grant to Mercy Chefs that we must meet by December 31. This Challenge also DOUBLES the impact of every dollar you donate right now!

This Year-End Challenge Grant is a godsend because it comes as we finish up one of the most rewarding seasons of outreach in our history and as our opportunities to feed “body and soul” are growing exponentially -- beyond anything we have ever imagined.

I just met a woman who shared with us a story that really drove home the importance of our work here in Texas...

Just two years ago, her family lost just about everything to Hurricane Harvey. She even lost her mother from a heart attack during the storm. Their home had been flooded and just recently they had been able to finish the final repairs.

Then the rains started last week. And they didn't stop until nearly four feet of rain had fallen, creating the second 1,000-year flood for her community in the past two years!

The demand for meals has continued to grow all week as word has spread across this region. Yesterday, I shared Tammy's story (see below), of how she was so grateful that she went from a recipient of our meals to a volunteer distributor! She helped us reach dozens more families -- and stories like this are happening more and more as the community finds us through word-of-mouth or local media coverage.

Today, we're expecting long lines again and will serve another 3,000-4,000 meals. The demand has been more than double our initial projections. I'm turning to friends like you. Please go here to make a tax-deductible gift to help Mercy Chefs meet the needs this weekend and continue other vital efforts.

Thank you so much to everyone who made this the best Giving Tuesday we have seen! We met our goal of sponsoring at least 2,000 holiday meals that will be served this Christmas season to disaster victims, children and needy families. 

Please see this brief video report on our recent deployment to the Florida Panhandle, and thanks for standing with Mercy Chefs!