Meals For 18 Wheels Brings Thanksgiving To Truck Drivers

More than 48 million people are expected to be traveling on US highways this Thanksgiving weekend and many are the truck drivers who deliver the goods that make everyone’s family holiday feasts happen. Thanks to one woman and her growing organization, Meals for 18 Wheels, people are also making it possible for truckers to enjoy a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal wherever they are on the road.

Coming from a family of truckers herself, Crystal Schoonmaker has always known the many personal sacrifices drivers make to do their job - especially around the holidays. “…A lot of drivers stay out on the road and do the holidays with their family at a different time,” Schoonmaker explains. “So we wanted to get those drivers a home-cooked meal to let them know that someone was thinking about them.” Four years ago she started the organization Meals for 18 Wheels, which serves hot meals to truck drivers on the road. “All the drivers have to do is let us know where they’re at, and then we’ll work tirelessly through the day, the night and the next day to get them a home-cooked meal,” she says. Last Thanksgiving, Meals for 18 Wheels made it possible for nearly 400 truck drivers to enjoy a home-cooked turkey dinner while on the road. This year, the organization is expecting similar or higher numbers and they are busy getting prepared.

The group has grown to 1,500 volunteers across the United States and many of the volunteers during Thanksgiving and Christmas are fellow truck drivers who have been helped by the group in past years and want to give their thanks. While Thanksgiving and Christmas are certainly their busiest times of the year, Meals for 18 Wheels operates year round, delivering meals to several drivers each week. “If a driver finds themselves stranded because they’re broke down or they don’t have access to food where they’re at or they have a financial setback, they can message the page and we will access our volunteers that we already have information for in the drivers’ area and we’ll make contact with them and exchange information so the drivers can get fed that day,” explains Schoonmaker.

She says this year, Meals for 18 Wheels is delivering meals to truck drivers across the country on Thanksgiving Day and Friday (Nov. 24-25). "For the rest of the weekend, we’re going to play that by ear. If something arises during the weekend, we’ll definitely be available to try and get a driver a home-cooked meal,” adds Schoonmaker.

Truck drivers who want to enjoy a home cooked meal can contact Meals for 18 Wheels on Facebook or email: MealsFor18Wheels@gmail.com. Anyone who would like to volunteer can apply here. The group currently needs more volunteers in Nebraska, Kansas, Washington and Nevada.

“Hopefully, we can get the word out to everyone. We definitely want everyone to know that we’re still here, we’re still active, and we’re still doing this,” Schoonmaker says.

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