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...

INCREASE!

Then the coronavirus nationwide shutdown hit, and I wondered how this word, "increase," could possibly apply. For a few days, like the rest of the country, Mercy Chefs came to a stand still. But before long, our response to the crisis began to develop, and it happened... increase beyond anything we could have imagined.

It started from our headquarters in Virginia as we began providing thousands of meals to needy families and elderly shut-ins. We then developed partnerships with local volunteers in about 20 communities across the country to deliver food boxes to tens of thousands of families. Then, the doors opened to partner with the "Farmers to Families" program. In a matter of weeks Mercy Chefs was providing HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of meals every week.

If you haven't yet seen it, my team produced a video highlighting all that your support has made possible so far this year.

the year of increase: 2020

The first six months of 2020 have been transformational for our ministry. At the beginning of the year when our Founder, Gary LeBlanc, shared the word for the year, none of us could have expected what would come next, but for the past 14 years we were being equipped each step along the way. This is our story of increase.

Posted by Mercy Chefs on Saturday, June 13, 2020

During some of the most trying times we have ever seen in our lifetimes as Americans, we have witnessed God move in amazing ways through the generosity of friends like you. Good folks from across the country have stepped up to help Mercy Chefs "fill the gaps" for those who have faced severe difficulties in recent months.

+ + Three million meals and growing!

In the midst of all these outreaches, this past month Mercy Chefs served the THREE-MILLIONTH meal in our history. Earlier this week marked the 14th anniversary of Mercy Chef's inaugural deployment to a community in New York State that had been hit by disastrous flooding. It took us 10 years to serve our first million meals and then three years to reach the second million. But it took just a year to serve our third million! That's "increase"!

As we begin the second half of this year of "increase," I want to personally thank you for your faithful prayers and support. Without friends like you, Mercy Chefs simply would not be able to reach out in so many ways. Because of you, we're following the Lord's call to "increase" and reach even more people than ever before.

God bless!

Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs

P.S. July is shaping up to be one of the busiest months of ministry in our history. Over the next seven days alone, we could provide another 200,000 meals. As the Lord leads, please go here to help and thanks in advance!

(If you prefer to send your gift by check, go here for mailing instructions.)