Free Thanksgiving meals offered to truck drivers

Truckers who have to work on Thanksgiving shouldn’t be prevented from enjoying a quality holiday meal.

The good news is that there are options, including free ones.

Meals for 18 Wheels

For the seventh consecutive season, Meals for 18 Wheels are arranging for volunteers to provide holiday meals to truck drivers.

Kevin Stebbins, one of the administrators for the Meals for Wheels Facebook page, said the group will share a post for drivers to provide their locations. Once the group has a driver’s whereabouts, Meals for 18 Wheels will attempt to connect a driver with one of its volunteers across the United States. The group also plans to share a post specifically about volunteers for Thanksgiving.

In previous years, the group has delivered hundreds of meals to truck drivers on Thanksgiving.

This year, Stebbins said the group is going to provide Thanksgiving meals for truck drivers on Nov. 27-29.

Stebbins added that the group can’t guarantee that it will be able to match a volunteer with every driver but they will do their best to try to provide drivers with a home-cooked meal.

Greater Chicago I-55 Truck Plaza

As it has for nearly 25 years, this truck stop will offer free turkey dinners to all drivers with a valid CDL from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

The meal will include turkey, stuffing with gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn bread. Additional dinners can be purchased for $12.99.

“This is a tradition our family had for nearly 25 years, because we understand that some drivers just aren’t able to be with their families on this important day,” Greater Chicago I-55 Truck Plaza vice president and owner Robin Puthusseril wrote in an email to Land Line.

Boise Stage Stop

The truck stop will offer free Thanksgiving meals “with all the trimmings” to valid CDL holders again this year.

The Boise Stage Stop also will be raffling off prizes for drivers, who must be present to win.

Pollard Flat USA

The restaurant at exit 712 off Interstate 5 in Lakehead, Calif., is offering free meals to anyone who stops by.

Appetizers will be served at 1 p.m., and dinner will start at 2. According to the restaurant’s Facebook page, it has offered free Thanksgiving meals for nearly 40 years.

“As travelers passed through, each person was invited to stay and be family,” the Pollard Flat Facebook post said. “This week as we prepare turkey and the classic fixins to go with it, we once again invite you to be family. Home is best, but when you can’t make it there, we come in a close second.”

Cowboy Café

The diner at exit 41 off Interstate 80 in Lyman, Wyo., will be offering free Thanksgiving meals to truck drivers on Wednesday, Nov. 27, according to the Cowboy Café Facebook page.

The meal will include turkey, potatoes, cranberries, corn, dinner rolls and pie. Meals will be served until they run out. The Cowboy Café will be closed on Thanksgiving.