Wednesday from New Orleans area

I URGENTLY need your help today. The situation here is desperate. We are going to get slammed with people needing meals and could serve 15,000 TODAY. This is an emergency situation! Go here to sponsor as many meals as you can for Ida victims, and see below for details. -- Gary

The situation here is DESPERATE. Last night all of New Orleans was DARK -- no power! There's no light; just darkness. Officials are warning it could be WEEKS before power is restored. If so, the human suffering is going to mount. THIS IS A MAJOR AMERICAN CITY THAT HAS BEEN TOTALLY SHUT DOWN BY THIS STORM.

Everything is chaotic. We just drove past a gas station and the line was at least TWO MILES LONG. Another 100-150 people were in the same station trying to fill their containers for generators. Water is BOIL ONLY in several parishes, including where we have established our base of operations. Without power and water, people are going to get desperate very quickly. The mayor issued a curfew last night to try to keep order.  

And then there's the heat! The heat index was well over 100 degrees yesterday, and the humidity is so thick you can see it hanging in the air.

+ + We are going to get SLAMMED with demand today!

We have two entire mobile kitchen teams on the ground here at our base at Celebration Church in Metairie. I am bracing for OVERWHELMING DEMAND for meals today -- up to 15,000 hot meals prepared and delivered to Ida victims. I am deeply concerned that the demand will be so great we could run out of food! That hasn't happened in 16 years.

I need your help TODAY in an urgent way. We brought two truckloads of food, but I must get another shipment ordered IMMEDIATELY. The costs are already staggering, and we could easily serve 60,000 meals or more THIS WEEK!

Will you help me provide 15,000 hot meals to Hurricane Ida victims TODAY? Go here to help sponsor 10, 20, 50, 100, 350, or even 1,000 meals for Hurricane Ida victims in Louisiana who desperately need our help:

Mercy Chefs' deployment is based just west of New Orleans -- a central location that allows us to get supplies in and get meals delivered to critical points of need across the region. We're distributing in several parishes, including LaPlace, Kenner and New Orleans. Tomorrow, we'll get meals to hard-hit Houma.

Even if you already donated, please consider going the EXTRA MILE with my team and make your most generous gift today. Perhaps you could match your best gift to Mercy Chefs this year. This situation is that urgent. Those who stayed are going to run out of food, if they haven't already. The heat is just too oppressive. Everything in their refrigerators is useless.

If you haven't donated yet to help us with Hurricane Ida relief, PLEASE DO SO TODAY! Your gift right now will make a difference for families who are facing weeks without power and have nowhere to turn! Go here to sponsor meals.

And PLEASE PRAY! I'm deeply concerned that if they don't get power and water restored soon, this entire area will quickly become unfit for humans. Few people realize that HEAT is the #1 weather related killer. No electricity means no air conditioning which means no escape from oppressive humidity and heat indexes over 100 degrees. This entire region needs your prayers. Our Mercy Chefs team needs your prayers as well!

Thanks in advance, and God bless you for blessing others,

Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs

P.S. The national media is barely reporting what's going on down here. This is a DESPERATE situation that is likely to get worse. Mercy Chefs is right in the midst of the greatest needs, with the ability to feed the most people we possibly can. But WE NEED YOUR HELP! We'll feed 15,000 people today and I must get another truckload of food here immediately, but expenses are mounting. Please go here to help sponsor meals for hurricane victims:

P.P.S. If the Lord has blessed you financially, this would be a great time to help us in a special way. A gift of $500 provides 175 meals; $1,000 feeds 350 people. Perhaps you can do more. Every gift no matter the size will help. If you want to send a check by mail, go here for complete mailing instructions.