As we are wrapping up hot meal service for the people of Houston and surrounding communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, I'm struck by this fact...

Something amazing happens over a meal.

I know I say that all the time, but it's true! With your help, we served over 100,000 chef-prepared meals to Texans, many of whom were without power in the midst of a dangerous heat advisory for as much as a full week. And time and time again, we saw amazing things happen.

Like when we brought meals to senior centers that had been without power and hot meals for days. Or when our team showed up at a low-income community with about 500 kids, most of whom hadn't seen a hot meal for days.

People are stunned when we hand them a chef-prepared, restaurant-quality meal that you helped provide. Some can't hold back the tears. To see kids smiling is all the thanks we need.

There's something else amazing that happens over the process of sharing these meals...

Communities are impacted!

We see people come together to serve their neighbors. Even families whose homes have been damaged or have lost power join our volunteer crew to help others in their community. 

Plus, local leaders stand shoulder-to-shoulder with moms and dads to plate and serve meals. During this deployment, Houston professional football player Desmond King joined Mercy Chefs to serve communities that were hit by this storm:

Yes, something amazing happens... in large part because of the prayers and support of friends like you.

We depend on the generosity of friends like you. Both the scope and cost of this deployment were far more than we anticipated. Would you help by sponsoring even 10 meals ($35) or 20 meals ($70) today? Go here:

Beryl was the earliest Category 4 storm on record. That means hurricane season is just beginning.

Please continue to pray for the families impacted by this massive storm. And thank you for your continued support in the weeks ahead.

God bless,

Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs