There’s been a sudden surge in refugees crossing the US-Mexico border, and our friends in McAllen, TX called us asking for help. This community has suffered so much in recent years. Their storehouse is empty, but their commitment to love one another is just as strong as ever.

The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God." - Leviticus 19:34

We are partnering with a respite station located across the street from the bus stop. As new arrivals come through the immigration process, there is a team there to welcome them, help them with paperwork, provide them with a few basic supplies, offer them a shower and clean clothing, and give them something to eat before they are put on a bus to meet their sponsors elsewhere in the United States. Many may find themselves on the bus for more than a day before reaching their final destinations. These are mothers with children. These are families who have walked across the desert in desperate search of a better life. They are entering the United States through official processing centers and documented check points. Many of these folks have been living in migrant camps on the Mexican side of the border for years, enduring horrendous conditions as they wait for the opportunity to pursue the American dream.

...You shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns, and...the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do." -Deuteronomy 14:28-29

Mercy Chefs does not engage in politics. We make no attempts to influence border policies or immigration laws. That is not our mission. We feed people. We love all, and we serve all. We shine the light of hope into the shadow of fear. Mercy Chefs is deploying to McAllen, Texas to bring love, light, hope, and hot meals to people in need.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me...‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’" -Matthew 25:35,40

We’re serving hot meals at this respite center, preparing boxed lunches for travelers to carry onto buses, and providing meal service for Customs and Border Patrol agents working diligently to keep everyone safe and organized. Mercy Chefs will have the opportunity to share a moment of comfort—of dignity—with new arrivals to our great nation. It is so much more than a meal.