March 6, 2012

Steve Elliott, Grassfire

I just got off the phone with Gary LeBlanc who heads up Mercy Chefs -- a dynamic "boots on the ground" agency that takes mobile kitchens to disaster sites and provides thousands of meals to victims and volunteers.

 

Gary and his team are already on the ground in West Liberty, Kentucky, where a mile-wide tornado with 140 MPH winds ripped through the town leaving a terrible path of destruction in its wake. The death toll from these tornadoes has reached 39 and Gary says that to make matters worse, the region got hit with a winter storm last night that brought snow and plummeting temperatures.

 

As I write, Gary and the Mercy Chefs mobile kitchen are providing hot meals to victims and volunteers in West Liberty as well as Crockett -- a neighboring community that was also totally devastated. The Mercy Chefs mobile kitchen is set up near the heart of the devastation. Entire buildings have been leveled or destroyed beyond repair, including the West Liberty High School.

 

(Main Street BEFORE: Google StreetView)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Main Street AFTER: courtesy of Weather Channel)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gary says Mercy Chefs provided hundreds of hot meals yesterday and will provide about 1,000 hot meals to victims and volunteers TODAY and then 1,000-1,500 meals every day this week as this community tries to cope with the disaster. In neighboring Crockett, Gary's team was met with tears from the community as Mercy Chefs were among the first to provide relief.

 

According to Gary, it costs about $2.50 to provide a hot meal to a victim or a volunteer. That's the raw cost. It's hard to put a value on a hot meal for a family that just lost a home or for a volunteer who is working to bring some semblance of relief to those who have just lost loved ones or seen their lives devastated.

 

I told Gary I would get the word out to some Grassfire friends.

 

This is an opportunity to help in a practical way TODAY. It costs just $10 to provide a hot meal to a family of four; $30 to feed 12 people TODAY in West Liberty; $50 to feed 20 people; $100 to feed 40 people. Here is a link directly to Mercy Chefs' donation page where you can contribute.

 

Mercy Chefs has already served over 200,000 meals in places like Missouri, Louisiana, Texas, New York, Arkansas and Alabama. Your gift is fully tax-deductible and since I know Gary personally I'm confident that Mercy Chefs will put your gift to work to help provide hot meals to victims and volunteers in West Liberty starting immediately.

 

Thanks for your consideration,

 

Steve Elliott

Grassfire Nation 

 

P.S. Again, Gary and his Mercy Chefs is already feeding families today in Kentucky. It costs just $2.50 to serve a hot meal to a victim or volunteer. Please help as you can. We are directing you straight to Mercy Chefs' donation page to help expedite the process:

 

GO HERE TO HELP MERCY CHEFS PROVIDE A HOT MEAL TO A VICTIM OR VOLUNTEER TODAY IN TORNADO-RAVAGED KENTUCKY.

 

View the Weather Channel panoramic images of Main Street in West Liberty:

http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/west-liberty-before-after_2012-03-04

 

+ + + + +

Grassfire Nation, a division of Grassroots Action, Inc., is a million-strong network of grassroots conservatives that is dedicated to equipping you with the tools that give you a real impact on the key issues of our day.  Copyright 2012 Grassroots Action, Inc.

+ + Comments? Questions?

http://www.grassrootsaction.com/r.asp?U=78907