IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — The generosity of the community has been overwhelming for one trucking company in Idaho.
“It took us by surprise,” said Whitney Polson, human-resource director for Super T Transport. “To see the outpouring of love and support for the drivers, and the outpouring from communities across the country, it has been a moving experience. This is hard for them too, and you don’t know until you are in the driver’s seat.”
Recently Super T Transport held a canned-food donation drive. While Polson said she couldn’t say exactly how much was donated, she said they received enough food to fill 22 boxes and give away 1,300 goodie bags to local drivers.
“That was all donations from the community,” she said. “All we had to do was organize it and put it in the care packages and distribute it to drivers at truck stops, just to give them something. There are some other drivers that are giving packages out as they were on the road.”
Polson said there were quite a few things donated during the event, including canned-food items such as soup, granola bars, fruit cups and cookies. In addition, the community contributed personal items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoos and small bottles of hand sanitizer.
“There were all sorts of stuff donated,” she said. “It was very touching and heartwarming to see it come in and come in quickly.”
One of the challenges for drivers right now, Polson said, is finding places to stop and eat, as well finding shower and laundry facilities.
“It has become really difficult for them, but the community outreach has been wonderful,” she said. “The drivers are really appreciative. Some of them have taken pictures of their care packages and put little thank-you notes on Facebook.
“Everyone is doing what they can to help so our drivers can continue to work,” she continued. “They are very much needed and essential, so it is nice for them to be acknowledged and know they are appreciated.”
Polson said there was a “ton” of food donations, including a large pallet of instant potatoes and a full pallet of other food donations. Personal protective equipment has been tough to find because it is in such high demand, she said, adding that Northwest Cosmetics helped by donating about 14 liters of hand sanitizer.
“There are quite a few people that are making homemade masks, and we are trying to get these masks out,” Polson said. “And we purchased some hand sanitizers for our drivers, along with some protective gloves.
“What we are doing now is really focusing on PPE items and trying to get that out to drivers,” she said. “We need face masks and gloves and we need to get it to our drivers — that is our primary need. We should be getting some hand sanitizer soon and hope to get that out. These are necessities our drivers need to protect themselves on the road.”
For more information or to offer help in any capacity, contact Super T Trucking at 208-754-7553.
Sam Pierce has been a journalist for more than a decade and has written for several publications including The Trucker, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and Living Our Faith magazine. He enjoys spending time with his family including his two daughters. They like to watch movies, read books and build LEGO sets.
