The Meals for Truckers program made a stop in Hope Monday, kicking off a week-long stay for a program that has been working to make life easier for truckers on the road during the coronavirus pandemic.
The program has been providing meals for truckers, the vast majority of the free, from local food trucks at key locations for truckers including Hope’s Chevron cardlock off of Flood Hope Road starting Monday, as well as stops in Chilliwack, Kamloops, West Kelowna and Kelowna.
The program got going when it became clear truckers were facing additional hardships on the roads due to shutdowns of rest stops, washrooms and truck stops.
Read more: ‘It’s frightening’: Hemlock Valley trucker on being on the road during COVID-19
It began with Greg Munden, who runs Munden Ventures in Kamloops, getting a phone call from fellow business owner ‘Greg’ Brad Wood about the state truckers were facing on the roads. Starting off with one food truck at a cardlock in Kamloops on April 4, the program has grown to 10 food trucks active across B.C. and Alberta trucking routes.
The initial plan was to provide accessible meals for truckers, but Munden soon had companies willing to sponsor free meals. These sponsorships, from companies and individuals, have ballooned to $47,000 in meals sponsored within four weeks of the program starting up.
As the initiative grew, the BC Truckers Association took over running what began as simply an idea to put one food truck at one truckstop in Kamloops.
In Hope, Steve O’s Fried Chicken provided a free meal at Hope’s Chevron card lock on Flood Hope Road Monday. The sponsor that day was Fortis BC.
“The ease of access to these meals will offer support and less worry as these essential workers focus on their day to day job without having to worry about how or where they will be able to eat,” said communications advisor with Fortis Diana Sorace.
Steve O’s will continue to offer meals this week from 11 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m. depending on how busy the evenings get.
“I love it and had some support from the locals today too. Lots of people came and bought take out, which was awesome,” said food truck owner Stephen Ford.
Anyone who wants to try some poutine, chicken burgers or deep fried chocolate bars is welcome to place an order at the cardlock in Hope this week. The regular customers will pay for their orders, while all truckers meals are sponsored by Fortis BC until Wednesday and by other sponsors the rest of the week.
emelie.peacock@hopestandard.com
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