Christmas in Kentucky was saved for some of those affected by this month's devastating tornadoes thanks to an army of volunteers who descended on the town of Mayfield and nearby communities that were worst hit.
Micah Seavers, who usually runs the family restaurant Southern Reds BBQ & Catering in nearby Water Valley, closed up shop entirely since the storms blasted homes and businesses to smithereens and was instead serving meals to his community.
So far, he has managed to serve well over 80,000 meals.
'If somebody needs it, we'll go there no matter where they're at,' Seavers sad.
'People got to be fed no matter what. You know to keep working you've got to be full and since then, we have a coordinated effort with our local community, volunteers, people donating bring more product and food for us to cook. And we have sent out tens of thousands of meals.'
'We started sending meals out immediately and haven't stopped since . We figure we have cooked around 20,000 pounds of meat.'
The restaurant has set up a GoFundMe page in order to raise funds, with $23,000 generated so far.
Nancy Lyell and her son Graham Lyell take food for door to door distribution to the victims affected by tornado in Mayfield, prepared at a family run restaurant of Micah Seavers, Southern Reds BBQ & Catering in Water Valley, Kentucky, on Christmas Day
A volunteer prepares food for door to door distribution to the victims affected by tornado in Mayfield, at a family run restaurant of Micah Seavers, Southern Reds BBQ & Catering in Water Valley, Kentucky, on Christmas Day
Micah Seavers and his team of volunteers have served well over 80,000 meals since the tornado hit. He also own a non-profit campground that have opened up to multiple families that he will let stay there until he get them into new homes
We will continue to feed, and help everyone as long as we are able, couldn't have done it without the selfless help of everyone said Seavers
Seavers also owns a nonprofit campground that has opened itself up to multiple families who he says will be able to stay there until they are able to get back into new homes.
'We will continue to feed, and help everyone as long as we are able, couldn't have done it without the selfless help of everyone,' he said.
'We're trying our best to take things to all the cities everywhere not just one in particular. Especially, these smaller towns where they may not be getting as much relief effort as far as big trucks coming through or anything like that.'
Volunteers prepare a special Christmas meal for the victims of the tornadoes whose lives were shattered just two weeks ago
Micah Seavers talks to his younger daughter Kemrin Seavers as they prepare food for a special meals on wheels service
Ronnie Lyell, a volunteer takes food for door to door distribution to the victims affected by tornado in Mayfield, prepared at a family run restaurant of Micah Seavers, Southern Reds BBQ & Catering in Water Valley, Kentucky
Even on Christmas Day, volunteers were hard at work preparing meals for those who were hit hard by this month's tornadoes
A whole host of volunteers got involved to help those less fortunate on Christmas Day in Mayfield, Kentuck
On Christmas Day morning, dozens of helpers came into the restaurant to help prepare meals for people who had been badly affected by the tornadoes which struck earlier this month.
Donations have been coming in to Southern Red's from all over the country.
'Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, up north from Wisconsin area, Michigan, we’ve had stuff shipped in from Alaska and everywhere else,' Seavers said.
Volunteers and residents of Hopkins County gather on a Christmas morning for a meal at Western Kentucky 4-H Camp
Kay Baer (R) opens her door to Micah Seavers (L) as he delivers her food in Mayfield, Kentucky, on Christmas Day
Seavers and his team of volunteers have served well over 80,000 meals since the tornado hit including this one for Kay Baer
Volunteers from around the country arrived earlier in the week to ensure families in western Kentucky would be able to celebrate no matter what.
'We're just trying to provide Christmas,' said Jimmy Finch, a volunteer from the neighboring state of Tennessee who came to Mayfield the day after the twisters hit.
'I haven't kept a total tally of how many people we have fed,' Finch said. 'We just encourage everybody to keep coming back.'
Micah Seavers delivers food door to door to the victims affected by tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky on Christmas Day
Micah Seavers can be seen in his kitchen at Southern Reds BBQ preparing food to send out tho those in need across the state
At least 79 people lost their lives in the tornados, which passed over several states from the night of December 10 to the early morning of December 11.
'The scope and scale of this destruction is almost beyond belief,' said US President Joe Biden after touring the damage in Mayfield.
The December 10 tornadoes killed six in Illinois, five in Tennessee, two in Arkansas and two in Missouri.
The victims in Kentucky range in age from 2 months old to 98 years old.
The continuous tornado path spanned 163.5 mi, making it the longest continuous tornado track in Kentucky history. It's also the deadliest tornado outbreak in the US since May 2011, when more than 170 people were killed.
In Mayfield, more than 100 employees of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory braved a tornado inside the facility, with some saying they were trapped under as much as five feet of rubble.
Elijah Johnson, 20, has filed a lawsuit with 109 other employees against the family-owned candle factory in Kentucky.
They are asking for an undisclosed amount after they say they were told that if they left the factory they'd be fired - despite tornado sirens going off.
The storm left a trail of wreckage in its wake that stretched from Arkansas, where a nursing home was destroyed, to Illinois, where an Amazon distribution center was heavily damaged
A motorcyclist looks out on a Christmas Day over a decommissioned tank that marks the area where American Legion Post 310 once stood, after tornadoes ripped through
An Amish family is seen gathering on a Christmas Day as they say prayers for those affected by the recent storms
An Amish family gathers on a Christmas Day to speak in a heavily damaged neighborhood in Dawson Springs, Kentucky
A Frosty the Snowman doll sits against a fallen utility pole on a Christmas morning in a heavily damaged neighborhood, after tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states, in Dawson Springs, Kentucky
The wreckage was due to a severe storm that had hit several states on December 10, which sent several tornadoes through Kentucky (Mayfield, Kentucky pictured on December 11)
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