Officials in the Bahamas have asked Mercy Chefs to help out at "ground zero" of Dorian's strike. But we must move quickly. See below.  --Gary

I just got off the phone with my contact on the ground in the Bahamas who is working closely with the government to help get relief moving as quickly as possible. Mercy Chefs has been asked to help bring relief to Abaco Island -- literally "ground zero" of Hurricane Dorian's strike.
Abaco got hit with the full force of the Category Five storm. Reports indicate that there may not be a single building left fully intact, and thousands are urgently in need of help.

+ + Expanding our relief efforts

Water is a main concern as water supplies have become contaminated. That's why we are expanding our deployment to three water purification units and my entire team is working to secure the units by Thursday and have them on the ground in the Bahamas BY THIS FRIDAY.

That means we are facing an immediate and urgent financial need -- to meet this initial deployment and to be ready to respond to even greater relief needs once we are in the Bahamas.

I'm asking EVERY MERCY CHEFS PARTNER to stand with us in the next 48 hours so we can secure the water purification units and get our team to the Bahamas as quickly as possible. Can you help me today? Go here to make your tax-deductible gift to help Mercy Chefs respond to the devastating disaster in the Bahamas and continue other vital efforts:

Because the Bahamas consists of a family of islands, this will be one of our most difficult deployments in our history. I am finalizing arrangements to get our team there by boat -- with the purification units -- by as soon as Friday. But every stage of this deployment will be difficult and costly. 

I am stepping out in faith believing that friends like you will partner with us in an amazing way so we have all the resources we need to bring all the relief we possibly can to this devastated region. Go here to help meet our goal of getting relief to the Bahamas THIS WEEK.

Please also note that we continue to monitor Dorian's impact on the U.S. coast. Our teams will be helping families here in Florida while we brace for what could be a major storm and flooding event in Eastern North Carolina. If that area gets more than seven inches of rain, we could see similar catastrophic flooding as we saw from Matthew in 2017.

Finally, please continue to pray! Especially lift up those in the Bahamas who were literally in the center of this storm for days. I have never seen a hurricane move so slowly. I can't imagine the sheer terror of having Category Five winds pound your home for hours on end.

Thanks in advance for your help, and God bless.

 Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs

P.S. Mercy Chefs has also been asked to provide hot meals on Abaco. We are working through the logistics now. But first, I must get the three water purification units to "ground zero" of Dorian's strike. If we have the funds, we can be on the ground in Abaco with the units by as soon as Friday! Please help. I'm praying for enough support so we can get drinkable water to Abaco this week, provide hot meals and meet other critical needs. Go here to help:

P.P.S. The images in this message come from Bahamas resident Vernal Cooper. The situation on the ground on Abaco Island is desperate. Thousands of people need our help. Drinking water is a primary critical need. Please help. And share this message with your friends.