Eight Days of Hope (EDOH) founder Steve Tybor says just in terms of disaster relief, 2023 was not as busy as they expected – though "busy" is a relative term. The warmer than normal Gulf waters only resulted in one major hurricane, but tornado season lived up to its name.
"We were in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee for some tornadoes," Tybor reports. "The state of Mississippi had multiple tornadoes. There was loss of life both in Rolling Fork, Mississippi and Amory, Mississippi."
"We did our usual outreach in upstate New York, where we have a northeast satellite," he adds.
Despite responding to every major disaster east of the Mississippi, the ministry did have some spare time, and Tybor did not use it to kick back and watch football.
"The Mass Feeding arm launched for the very first time due to the hurricane down in Perry, Florida, and, of course, our Safe House arm really kept us busy," he relays.
The Mass Feeding Ministry has a huge and highly organized mobile kitchen that Tybor says can be sent out with a disaster recovery team or on its own. "With about 15 volunteer leaders, [it] can make about 8,000 meals per session," he details.
EDOH has also begun responding to personal and emotional disasters.
"Right now, Eight Days of Hope is building the largest campus for girls who've been rescued from sex trafficking in Ohio," Tybor reports. He says that should be finished and ready for girls by next summer.
Meanwhile, the disaster relief ministry hopes to announce an outreach program in its home state of Mississippi by the middle of January.
