ST. LOUIS – There is an influx of help for St. Louis tornado victims coming from other states. 

Texas and Oklahoma are among those teaming up with Missouri and making an astounding difference in the May 16 tornado relief effort. 

The Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief group was on the ground and delivering its first meal in St. Louis less than 24 hours after the tornado hit. 

The group is now delivering 2,500 meals-a-day.  At that rate, they’re near the 40,000 meal mark. 

The group here is part of a network of 42 Baptist relief organizations that have been active for almost five straight months now. 

“We’ve been going since about the third week of January: started with ice storms, then tornado, tornado, after tornado. We’ve been stretched so thin,” said Edgar Barnhill of Charleston, MO, which is near Sikeston in SE Missouri. 

So, the Missouri team has turned to Oklahoma and now Texas for reinforcements.  The operation has run non-stop, with the salvation army delivering the meals, manning meal “pick-up” locations and covering the cost of all the food. 

The labor from Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief is free of charge and all volunteer.

Most of those working here now are far from home. They handle every task, from start to finish, in what is essentially a massive mobile restaurant.

Those getting the meals say they’re blessed. Those making them say it’s the other way around. 

“Why do you do it?” FOX 2’s Andy Banker asked Barnill.

“Service,” he said, choking up a bit. “Jesus did it for us. He asked us to do it for the least of these, your brothers. What we do gives people hope.  If people get hope, then they can start healing.” 

He says the group is also staffing laundry and shower operations in St. Louis.  As with the cooking operation, those efforts will continue “until further notice.”