I have two major updates for you...

First, as you may know, due to the impending tropical storm, officials made the decision over the weekend to demolish the remaining part of the building. The demolition happened at around 10:30 last night. Authorities were concerned that winds from the storm could cause the structure to collapse in an uncontrolled way, putting the lives of the workers at risk.

This caused search efforts to be suspended. The good news is, crews are back at work today and are hoping to have better access to the underground garage that is of particular interest to the teams in their efforts. The temporary pause in S&R efforts was difficult but necessary. Now, the teams can work without fearing that the building will collapse.

And here's the second major update...

Officials have asked Mercy Chefs to stay on site and feed the teams for the remainder of the month. When we served our first breakfast about 10 days ago, I had no idea this would grow into a month-long deployment with two mobile kitchens and an overnight shift! But this is why Mercy Chefs exists, and it's why I need friends like you in an urgent way this week...

Now that the rest of the building has been demolished, I expect efforts to actually intensify this week. Go here to make your best possible tax-deductible gift as we provide hot meals to search and rescue teams:

It is an incredible honor to be chosen for this task, but now I need the help of EVERY Mercy Chefs friend and partner so we can fulfill this important mission. As long as the crews are working, I want to be here providing hot meals. There are no words to explain the difficulty and heartbreak of the community in Surfside, FL. Day after day, we've seen the search teams coming from the site of the collapse. Their faces tell us what happened during their shift. Yet no matter how exhausted they may be, their determination has only grown with each passing day.

Please pray for the families. Pray for these teams. And ask the Lord how you can partner with Mercy Chefs at this time.

Thank you in advance, and God bless,

Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs

P.S. This is one of the teams we've been feeding. Day after day, these brave men and women have been at work. We expect their efforts to accelerate this week now that the rest of the building has been demolished. Please help me feed these heroes! As I noted, Mercy Chefs has been asked to serve here for a full month. I need your help in a big way. Go here to help.