I'm sending you this ALERT on the national coronavirus crisis taking place right now in our nation.

The President just declared a NATIONAL EMERGENCY under the provisions of the Stafford Disaster Relief And Emergency Assistance Act, which allows the federal government to mobilize resources to state and local authorities.

I will not even begin to forecast what may happen with the virus, but one thing is for certain: the now inevitable shut down of so much of our society has assured that THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS HAS PRECIPITATED A SERIES OF CRISES that are now demanding our immediate attention.

Never in the history of Mercy Chefs have I received so many requests for help in one day. I have been on the phone almost NON STOP with community leaders from across the country who are bracing for the need to serve THOUSANDS if not TENS OF THOUSANDS of meals starting as soon as next week.

As I write, Mercy Chefs is still deployed in Nashville, serving tornado victims along with National Guard troops all weekend long. Our meal service in Panama City was already scheduled to ramp up significantly starting next week. These and other Mercy Chefs outreaches could increase EXPONENTIALLY in the coming days and weeks because of the coronavirus crisis.

And the phone keeps ringing! I've been on the phone with one of the FORERUNNERS in Christian inner-city ministry in one of the nation's largest cities -- and they are imploring Mercy Chefs to come and help. We have been speaking with local emergency management services and department of health and feeding task forces who have alerted us that their need for Mercy Chefs will likely explode in the next week as the shut down sets in at the local level.

Again, this is already all UNPRECEDENTED -- and the crisis is just starting!

Here's what this means... Mercy Chefs is about to be asked to mobilize and respond on a level that is far beyond anything we have ever attempted. As a result, I need to immediately expand our efforts, but to do so will require friends like you stepping up in a BIG WAY starting THIS WEEKEND.

As the Coronavirus crisis intensifies and Mercy Chefs is asked to possibly expand in unprecedented ways, can I count on your help? Go here to make your tax-deductible gift to help us provide hot meals to disaster victims THIS WEEKEND while we gear up to meet the expanded need being created by the current crisis:

+ + Could be our nation's greatest hour!

Again, I don't know what will happen with the coronavirus. What I do know is that OUR NATION IS IN AN EFFECTIVE SHUT DOWN and this is creating a crisis of its own. And I know that Mercy Chefs has an obligation to respond in any and every way that we can to meet the need -- especially for the children who will feel the brunt of this nationwide shut down.

To further complicate matters, we are dealing with serving meals during an outbreak of a deadly virus. That means we are taking every possible precaution, including modifying some of our protocols and procedures, to ensure the safety of both our Mercy Chefs team and those we are serving. The good news is, because of our commitment to serving only quality, chef-prepared meals, we are starting from a place of the highest level of sanitation and food safety.

I truly believe that this could be our generation's greatest hour. In the coming days and weeks, you and I will have more opportunities to lend a helping hand to a neighbor than perhaps we have had in years. Simply sharing a meal next door or offering to pick up some groceries for an elderly friend will be perceived as a great blessing.

For now, I need your help providing hot meals to disaster victims THIS WEEKEND while we get ready for what possibly will be the largest outreach in Mercy Chefs' history in response to the coronavirus crisis. Go here to help.

And most importantly, PLEASE PRAY! Pray for our nation! Ask for God's mercy on our land. Pray for divine wisdom for President Trump and all our leaders all the way down to the local level. Pray for those who have already been infected by this virus. And ask God to give our Mercy Chefs team both wisdom and direction so we can bring the most relief to the most people in the most safe and secure way possible.

Thanks in advance for your partnership right now, and God bless you!

Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs

P.S. The next 72 hours are very important. My phone keeps ringing with requests for Mercy Chefs to help. I must have the resources to respond. Please help. I'm hoping and praying that thousands of Mercy Chefs' friends will respond in a historic way this weekend to this unprecedented crisis. Please make a tax-deductible gift THIS WEEKEND to sponsor 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 or more meals that Mercy Chefs will serve during this crisis. Go here:

P.P.S. Given the increasing difficulties being caused by the shut down happening all around us, including transportation, I have a special and unusual request. If you, your company, or someone you know has access to a private plane, it may become useful to our team if and when travel becomes more restrictive. If you can possibly help in this special way, please email me at [email protected].