WOODSTOCK, Ont. – After serving up more than 100 hot meals to truckers at the TA Petro gas bar in Woodstock, Ont., May 1 the Thank a Trucker team has announced it will make it a weekly event through May.

Thank a Trucker is an initiative of NAL Insurance, aimed at providing support, awareness, and meals for drivers facing challenges on the road. The pizza was contributed by Boston Pizza in Woodstock.

Organizers greeted professional drivers with a hockey stick handshake, to keep their distance.

“We spoke to a lot of incredible drivers on Thursday, with many of them expressing how nice it was to finally be able to get some food while fueling up, with so many truck stops having to keep their restaurants closed right now,” said Aaron Lindsay, vice-president of marketing at NAL Insurance.

“It’s a difficult situation, as we of course need to keep our distance and practice proper hygiene techniques, but these drivers are real people who are spending weeks away from their families so that we can have the necessities to live such as food, fuel, and PPE equipment in hospitals, yet they are being treated so poorly in some cases.”

The Thank a Trucker team will be set up at the TA Petro each Thursday in May from noon till 5 p.m., weather permitting. To support the initiative, Thank a Trucker gear is being sold at www.ThankATrucker.co, with proceeds going to help support truck drivers with PPE, meals and showers.