TORONTO, Ont. – The country has witnessed an outpouring of support for truck drivers following the Covid-19 outbreak, but one group in Toronto is taking the generosity a step further.

Khalsa Care, a charity run by the Sikh community in the Toronto suburb of Caledon, is offering free meals and essential supplies such as sanitizers and gloves to any trucker who needs them – for the foreseeable future.

“We will run this program as long as necessary. We’ve a one-year commitment from our donors “

– Gurminder Gill, director of Khalsa Care.

“We will run this program as long as necessary,” Gurminder Gill, director of Khalsa Care, told Today’s Trucking on Friday.

“We’ve a one-year commitment from our donors,” he said.

The major sponsors are Gillz Sweet Factory, GTA Financial and Peel Financial.

The program kicked off April 13, when the community celebrated the festival of Vaisakhi, Gill said.

Some 20 volunteers are involved in the preparation and distribution of the food packets.

The vegetarian meals are prepared at a government-approved kitchen at Gillz Sweet Factory and then delivered to drivers arriving at various truck stops. The group is currently serving 6 truck stops in the Greater Toronto Area.

“The truck stop operators have no problem with that,” Gill said.

Khalsa Care has served 500 meals so far, and Gill said it has the capacity to provide up to 200 meals a day.