Wednesday from Paducah, Kentucky

We're counting down to the official launch of our Beacon of Hope recovery center. Please see my update below, and go here to help sponsor hot meals for tornado victims as we build to help these communities recover. --Gary

The fact that this monster tornado strike happened in winter has made things even more difficult for these communities. Kentucky's peak tornado season typically happens in May. The state simply does not get tornadoes in December -- until this past year!

As a result, on top of everything else the people of Western Kentucky are facing in the aftermath of the massive tornadoes, weather continues to be a challenge. For example, later today, rain will turn to snow as another cold front descends on the region. It just makes everything even more of a struggle for families facing this...

In the midst of these difficulties, our Mercy Chefs team continues to provide hundreds of meals daily to disaster victims across the region, while we also work intensely to get our Beacon of Hope center officially launched this weekend. We're already serving meals from this location, but work continues as we transform the school we've been provided into a multi-faceted center for relief and recovery for the region.

We did this with great success in Panama City and we're replicating that model here. The Mercy Chefs Beacon of Hope will be a "base camp" for volunteers coming to the area to help with clean up and construction. We'll be feeding and housing these volunteers while we provide meals across a wider area thanks to the new capabilities of this center.

Word is spreading and the calls for help keep coming in from communities across this region. Once again, Mercy Chefs has the opportunity to meet a critical need for communities in the aftermath of disaster.

With just a few days to go before our official launch, will you partner with Mercy Chefs to create a Beacon of Hope for this region while we continue to provide hundreds of hot meals to disaster victims every day? Go here to make your tax-deductible gift:

I'm so grateful for every friend of Mercy Chefs who has helped us bring relief in the form of hot meals to tornado victims since just hours after the monster storm struck. I'm humbled and honored by your generosity and your passion for helping those who have been hit by disaster. If you can help again, it would be a great blessing. We'll put your gift to work to support those in need.

If you haven't yet partnered with us to bring relief to Kentucky tornado victims, please do so today! We are making a long-term commitment here, and we need every member of our support team standing with us!

Thanks and God bless!

Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs