Members of TBM's third Israel team (Janice Rowlands (l-r), Mike Dalton, Gary Finley and Sylvia Chastain) prepare hot dogs in Israel.
Third team cooking remotely
A third team of TBM volunteers is now serving meals in Israel and doing so at remote locations, according to Gary Finley, TBM’s volunteer coordinator in Israel.
“We’re cooking remotely,” Finley said, after the team finished preparing and serving 1,300 meals near the Egyptian border Nov. 29. TBM volunteers set up the mobile kitchen in a tent outpost and reached the site by van and truck via a two-hour drive.
In October and November, the first and second TBM teams prepared food at a central location and sent the food out for delivery. Team 3 includes 10 volunteers – nine from Texas and one from North Carolina. There are eight men and two women. They arrived in Israel on Tuesday.
Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the beginning of the war, TBM and Israeli volunteers have served more than 100,000 meals using equipment designed by TBM.
More mobile kitchens are being outfitted, Finley said. TBM has purchased two commercial-size generators to power the kitchens. Electricians and other workers are finishing work on the other kitchens as they await the arrival of the generators.
The first two TBM teams primarily prepared falafel sandwiches. This time, “we’re cooking different foods,” including more hamburgers, hot dogs and kabobs, Finley said. Team 3 is scheduled to return to the United States on Dec. 8. A fourth team is on standby for possible deployment, Finley said.
“The situation in Israel has required a great deal of coordination with our Israeli partners and with volunteers,” said John-Travis Smith, TBM associate executive director who coordinates TBM ministry in Israel. “God has positioned TBM, through its established relationships, to provide an amazing level of support to anyone in need as this war unfolds.
“I do not know of any other Christian organization that has such a well-established and fruitful ministry situation in Israel right now,” Smith said. “We believe God has opened this door of service through TBM, and we are seeking to be faithful in responding.”
Mike Dalton prepares food in Israel.