The Church of the Highlands, Alabama’s largest church, offered an update Tuesday, March 12, on its tornado relief efforts in Lee County following the March 3 tornado that killed 23 people:

"We have opened the Auburn Dream Center to affected families to receive any specific items they may need, with no cost. We are also continuing to deliver supply items to those who are unable to come in person.

""We continue have teams on the ground in hard-hit areas, clearing fallen trees and debris in neighborhoods and tarping damaged roofs.

We continue to serve alongside Mercy Chefs to cook thousands of meals for affected families and those participating in response efforts. Recently, Mercy Chefs provided food for a funeral for a family of three whose lives were lost in the tornadoes."

The church, in its previous update on Friday, March 8, reported the following efforts:

“We have primarily been on the outskirts of the hardest-hit areas due to restricted access,” the church said in a statement issued Friday morning. “Today, we were granted limited access into the restricted areas. We’ve finally been able to start serving those with the greatest needs.”

The church, which draws more than 40,000 worshippers to its main campus in Irondale and 18 branch campuses including Auburn, summarized its relief efforts so far: