This is a huge weekend here in Panama City. TODAY we are adding 800 meals, in addition to other distributions. By Monday, Mercy Chefs will be at 2,000+ meals per day as we take over a program that is providing hot meals to hundreds of families while expanding our outreach to potentially thousands of needy schoolchildren -- in addition to our other outreaches here.

+ + Shocking conditions; people "still living in tents"

Conditions here are still SHOCKING. There are piles of debris everywhere. Here is how the local paper, the Panama City News Herald, described current conditions in a report from just two days ago:

"Some families are closing in on half a year of being unable to receive electricity to their homes. Big box stores like TJ Maxx, Homegoods and Kohl’s are still closed, representing hundreds of jobs in limbo. The State of Emergency was recently extended for the 20th time and in Panama City alone, between 500 and 1,000 homes and about 500 businesses will need to be demolished. People are still living in tents, either in their yards or together in tent communities and some people are even still living in the destroyed public housing complexes. Debris piles taller than a person still line some streets. The number of homeless students in Bay District Schools has doubled to more than 4,000."

This is a report written FIVE MONTHS after the hurricane struck!

Simply put, the conditions are desperate, the need is urgent, and we need your help!

Will you stand with us this weekend and into next week as we serve thousands of meals to disaster victims and volunteers helping with the recovery here in Florida and continue other vital efforts? Please go here to make your tax-deductible contribution:

Every meal we serve is made possible by a generous friend or partner. Your gift today will help us on the front lines of this struggle today, this weekend, and into next week.

Thanks for your prayers and your participation with Mercy Chefs in this vital outreach!

Gary LeBlanc, Founder
Mercy Chefs

P.S. It feels like a third-world country down here. Kids go to school in half-destroyed buildings with no cafeteria. Churches are still holding services in tents. Nothing is back to normal! That's why we are ramping up TODAY, through this weekend, and into next week. By Monday, Mercy Chefs will be serving 2,000 meals every day -- making this the largest re-deployment in our history! We simply cannot do this without friends like you! Please go here to help:

Donate to help our Hurricane Michael re-deployment.

Donate Monthly and help all year long!

Source: Panama City News Herald