When Kandi Roy learned her husband would be out of town and behind the wheel of a semi-truck on Thanksgiving day, she hatched a plan to feed other truckers with hot, home-cooked meals as they worked the holiday.
What started as a modest plan to give professional drivers a taste of home quickly ballooned, however, as word spread of Roy’s plans. By the week of Thanksgiving, she’d gathered enough donations to feed at least 250 people, by her estimate, all of which she plans to give away at the Love’s gas station in Grand Junction starting around 3 p.m. today.
“It’s a very lonesome day for truckers, they are alongside a highway somewhere, and people don’t think about them those days,” she said. “They don’t usually get home-cooked meals … so it’s not only about recognizing them, but about giving them a taste of the feeling, of having home with them.”
The menu includes turkey, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, rolls and pie.
Roy’s invested plenty of time and energy into making the food, running several roasters simultaneously last weekend to get all the turkeys cooked and carved by Thanksgiving day. She made the green bean casserole and several other dishes immediately after work last Wednesday night, and plans to reheat the meals Wednesday morning.
Asked what made her endeavor worth the effort, Roy said truck drivers weren’t given enough gratitude for their work, despite tying together virtually every major business operation from manufacturers to retailers.
“Truckers don’t get the recognition they deserve … and a lot of times they are away for the holidays. While we’re at home celebrating with our families, they’re on the road by themselves,” she said. “The truckers are the ones that deliver everything to our stores. Without them, everything stops moving. There wouldn’t be turkeys to eat on Thanksgiving, there wouldn’t be presents to put under the tree if it wasn’t for our truckers, there wouldn’t be food banks. That’s why I’m doing this.”
While Roy initially planned to feed just a handful of lucky truck drivers on the holiday, an effort to gather donations through social media and local news promotions quickly snowballed.
The Grand Junction family saw donations far beyond their expectations, filling their home with canned goods and frozen turkeys, while others offered varying amounts of cash. Roy said she was “shocked” as contributions continued to come in.
Some of the help came from fellow trucker families, or community members nearby. Others, Roy said, were courtesy of complete strangers.
“I’m amazed at the outcome, I only intended to feed a few truckers and then it turned into this big thing,” Roy said. “We brought in $1,500 of donations in an online GoFundMe, I’ve had turkeys brought in, community support’s been amazing … I think it’s been outstanding how everything’s come together, it’s a miracle and I think it’s just meant to be.”
Dining and Cooking