From the desk of Steve Elliott, Grassfire Nation
Dear Priscilla,
As you have seen reported in the news, the need in the New York region following Superstorm Sandy is tremendous.
That's why we partnered with Mercy Chefs, a disaster relief organization founded by Chef Gary LeBlanc.
With the help of many friends from our Grassfire Nation team, Mercy Chefs have already served over 50,000 meals in two of the hardest hit areas of New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg commended Mercy Chefs for their extensive help.
+ + Gary's dilemma
Yesterday, Gary was telling me of a huge decision facing Mercy Chefs.
Months ago, following Mercy Chefs Hurricane Isaac relief work in Louisiana, Gary promised the people of LaPlace that Mercy Chefs would return there over Thanksgiving and provide 5,000 victims, who are still rebuilding their lives, a hearty Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. He even arranged for an appearance by a celebrity Chef.
It is their tradition to r
eturn at
Thanksgiving to an area they served during the course of the year.Gary knew he had to honor that promise to the people of LaPlace, which meant shutting down operations in New York.
When he made that promise, He never anticipated that two of the Mercy Chefs mobile kitchens would be put into service this late in the season - and for an extended period of time.
That left him with an extremely difficult decision. Serve Thanksgiving meals to the victims in New York - or New Orleans?
Then, he wondered if he could possibly do both. After all, the Mercy Chefs team of chefs and helpers are all volunteers. Would he dare ask them to leave their homes and man two kitchens in two different areas of the country over the Thanksgiving holiday?
The answer came when Mayor Andrew Hardwick of Freeport, NY called and asked Mercy Chefs to relocate a mobile kitchen to feed those victims still housed in Freeport’s emergency shelters. Many of them haven't had a good hot meal since Sandy struck.
Gary knew he had to make a bold decision and commit to help those victims.
+ + Then came the hard part... asking for help over the holiday
Gary's volunteers gave him a resounding "yes" when he asked them to man two mobile kitchen sites - and feed thousands of people a day for 5 days - including a full-course Thanksgiving dinner.
+ + A definite answer to prayer!
Rev. Tina Baker of Refuge Apostolic Church of Christ in Freeport said Gary's call was an answer to prayer!
“We asked ourselves, how do we feed these families
who have lost everything. How do we give them the gift of a Thanksgiving meal?
And then Mercy Chefs called and offered to come to our community over
Thanksgiving week. It’s a gift. It’s a blessing!”
Both locations - New York and LaPlace will start providing hot meals on Sunday, culminating with dinner on Thursday.
Gary will provide the kitchens and the boots on the ground in these two cities - but I need you to commit, along with me, to to help me supply the Thanksgiving week dinners.
Priscilla, can I count on you to do that?
A gift of $10 will feed a family of 4 a professional Chef-prepared Thanksgiving dinner.
Please click here to give your best gift possible.
http://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/f34ba4a16a5c6391
As you might imagine, this will be more than a meal to these people who have lost everything. It's a symbol of hope on a day we set aside to give thanks to God for his blessings.
We want to be a source of thanks for them next week.
And with your support and prayers, you will be right there with us!
This could be a special Thanksgiving to remember for you and the people of LaPlace, Louisiana - and Freeport, New York.
Your gift of any amount will be a tremendous blessing to people who, right now, have little to be thankful for.
I also hope that you will remember Mercy Chefs in prayer leading up to and including their days of relief work in Louisiana and New York.
God bless you,
Steve Elliott
Grassfire Nation
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