Texans on Mission volunteers served more than 80,000 meals in Israel in 2024. TXM works in partnership with Israel’s Emergency Volunteer Project, which provided more than 800,000 using equipment and facilities TXM helped develop.
“We now have 10 feeding trailers/units, each with a generator, that can be deployed anywhere,” said JohnTravis Smith, TXM associate executive director. “We can house 40 volunteers in Israel and expand that number if we need to.”
TXM organizes disaster relief training trips to Israel throughout the year, and it deployed teams a year ago after Hamas fighters raided Israel. It held its last 2024 training session in November.
“We now have 165 people trained in kosher protocols” required for food service in Israel, said Gary Finley, TXM Israel volunteer coordinator. “This would staff all 10 kitchens for two weeks. We are continuing training in 2025.”
More trained volunteers are still needed, Finley added. “If there were a major disaster, we would run short of trained volunteers. So we need more.”
Finley called 2024 a “roller coaster year” in Israel. The year began with the emergency response when multiple TXM teams served, which was followed by regular training trips, and then the entire team was placed on standby when the conflict in Lebanon escalated.
In a Dec. 18 email to trained volunteers he said: “For now we will remain on alert. I ask that you continue to pray for peace and safety for our partners over there.”
Monthly training trips will resume in March 2025 and then skip April as the Jewish world observes Passover.
In November, the last training of 2024, TXM volunteer trainees prepared, cooked and served more than 3,000 meals alongside EVP workers. They trained to cook kosher meals to prepare for any future deployments to deliver relief when needed.
TXM volunteers said they also found the work in Israel inspiring.
It was “very humbling for me to serve a people who are fighting for their very existence,” said TXM volunteer Cheryl Terry. “I absolutely feel that I receive a blessing each time I serve. Everyone that can physically go would see and experience the people of Israel and the resilience of spirit. They have been an inspiration to me personally.”
Volunteers also had opportunities to explore historic sites. “To be able to possibly walk where Jesus did is just inspiring to me,” said TXM volunteer Jerry Ickes.
TXM volunteer Kelton Gunter said: “You just have to see it and live it a bit to get any sense of it. I highly recommend people take this opportunity, not only to help during the training mission, but to be qualified to serve when the next emergency happens.”
The training efforts did not go unnoticed by the people of Israel. “When they see us working very hard, … they know we have traveled thousands of miles to help them and prove that we care,” Gunter said.
Taryn Johnson, TXM’s social media strategist, said it was a blessing to see “such humble servants eager to help those in need. A trip to Israel is one that requires flexibility and determination, and every volunteer exuded these traits with a smile. They highly recommended others volunteer for mass feeding in Israel, and for that we are grateful.”
Finley said there is a new registration process for Israel training trips. Visit the TXM webpage, TexansOnMission.org/Israel, to learn more details about the trips and to register.
