TUESDAY P.M. UPDATE -- NORTH CAROLINA CRISIS

Ann and I arrived in North Carolina yesterday.

The communities here are facing a desperate situation.

There has been a total collapse of basic infrastructure. Communication has been broken off. For many, the water supply has been corrupted.

This is as bad and as urgent a situation as we have seen -- similar to what I encountered in New Orleans after Katrina.

+ + First meals in NC TONIGHT...

Our team has set up our base of operations at a hospital in Asheville that urgently needs help. We are sending out our first meals THIS EVENING for dinner.

My team is already building a distribution network so we can deliver meals to about 20 surrounding communities that are still reeling from the storm. Small towns like Marshall, that was totally inundated by the flooding and is now just beginning to dig out.

All this is happening while we are still serving thousands of meals to hurricane victims in Florida.

This is one of the most critical times in Mercy Chefs' history. The needs are overwhelming. We must do everything in our power to help those who are hurting.

Can you help sponsor meals we'll serve in both North Carolina and Florida over the next 48 hours?. Go here to help sponsor 10, 20, 50, or even 100 meals for Helene victims while we continue other vital outreaches:

Again, many in Asheville and surrounding communities urgently need help.

Mercy Chefs is here, thanks to you.

Please pray for the families who have lost loved ones and for the thousands who have to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of this devastating storm.

Thanks in advance, and God bless,

Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs