Today, November 29, is Giving Tuesday, a movement created 20 years ago as a counterbalance to Black Friday’s and Cyber Monday’s focus on spending.
Last year, 35 million adults participated by offering gifts of time, skills, goods, simple acts of kindness, and money inspired by the movement. In 2021, an estimated $2.7 billion were donated in 24 hours in the U.S. alone.
With Giving Tuesday upon us, here are a few organizations that help truckers in times of need. If you want to get into the spirit of the day, you could do worse than one of these groups.
Truckers Final Mile
Founded by truck driver Robert Palm, this organization helps reunite truckers and their families in times of crisis. They provide services to North American truck drivers and their families including transportation and lodging in the event of a serious emergency like a loss of life, debilitating injury, or serious illness.
St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund.
This organization aids over-the-road/regional truck drivers and their families when an illness or injury, occurring within the last year, has caused them to be out of work. The SCF also provides programs that will benefit professional drivers and the trucking industry like smoking cessation, diabetes prevention, and free flu, shingles, and pneumonia vaccines. Since it was established, they have helped almost 3,300 truckers with some $3.7 million
Meals for 18 Wheels
A hot meal is something that many of us take for granted, but for truckers out on the road, finding this isn’t always easy. Relying on volunteers, they will put hungry drivers in touch with local folks willing to deliver a hot, home-cooked meal to them in their trucks. They can also help drivers and their families who need assistance putting food on their tables.
Truckers Christmas Group
This group, organized and operated by truckers, has raised some $127,000 to aid over 217 trucking families over the last 13 years. Last year, the group gave 35 families grants of $650 each to ensure they had a merry Christmas. In addition to accepting donations, the group holds fundraising events and has an online store.
Trucker Buddy International
Trucker Buddy is a pen-pal program where professional drivers are paired with classrooms. The driver communicates to the class through the teacher and kids learn about geography, math, as well as improve their reading and writing skills. This nonprofit organization is 100% funded by donations and sponsorships from businesses and individuals. It also provides grant money and resources to teachers and classrooms.
There are so many worthy nonprofits out there for our big-hearted readers to support, and you certainly can’t go wrong with those listed above.
