Truckers For Troops continues support of veterans organization

For the past 18 years, members of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association have shown their support for veterans through the Association’s Truckers For Troops program. ; “They (VCP) provide a very needed and worthwhile service,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer told local media. “It’s a service that we’re glad to support.”

The annual weeklong membership and donation drive, which begins on Veterans Day, has raised over $800,000 for active military personnel and veterans organizations since it was established in 2007.

In addition to sending care packages to active military, Truckers For Troops has contributed to several veterans organizations, including the Veterans Community Project.

Founded in 2016 in Kansas City, Mo., the group’s mission is to fight veteran homelessness by providing former military members with “a home of their own and individualized, wraparound support services that not only help get them back on their feet but ensure they continue standing.”

With the needs of veterans in mind through every step of the process, VCP accomplishes this goal with its communities of tiny homes located across the country. In addition to the Kansas City location, it has community villages in Glendale, Ariz., Longmont, Colo., Sioux Falls, S.D., St. Louis, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City.

On top of providing much-needed shelter, the sites also assist residents with access to veterans services, health care and financial literacy courses.

Truckers supporting veterans

For the past few years, Truckers For Troops has made a financial contribution to VCP’s Kansas City village. In addition to the monetary gift, the group has also delivered a truckload of household supplies that were donated by OOIDA employees during the Association’s annual campaign.

On Dec. 6, 2024, Truckers For Troops made its yearly visit to the Kansas City village, bringing along a check for $10,000.

“They (VCP) provide a very needed and worthwhile service,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer told local media. “It’s a service that we’re glad to support.”

For Chris Admire, executive director of VCP-Kansas City, the outpouring of support from Truckers For Troops is old hat. He said the continued backing from truckers is something VCP has come to rely on.

“When you can count on someone year over year to come and always be consistent, always give, its good for us,” Admire told Land Line. “It lets us operate confidently.”

As the Kansas City site continues to grow and thrive, Admire said it would soon be moving five new residents into the village. Coincidentally, Truckers For Troops brought five recliners as part of the recent donation, something Admire said would be a welcome addition to those residents’ new homes.

Other expansion plans are in the works for the Kansas City site, including a new welcome center that will provide additional outreach services for veterans. Admire said the existing building will be repurposed and used as remote offices for other veterans organizations, giving the community they serve the ability to access a “multitude of services” in one place, saving them time.

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Much like the members that support the cause, Truckers For Troops’ charitable efforts couldn’t stay in one place for long.

In 2024, through the generosity of OOIDA members, the group was able to make donations to VCP villages in St. Louis and Sioux Falls, S.D.. At those stops, Truckers For Troops brought checks for $10,000, along with a load of backpacks filled with hygiene kits.

Speaking with other executive directors, Admire said they were encouraged by the backing of Truckers For Troops as the group continued its support of VCP at numerous locations.

“We always say when someone donates to VCP, ‘You’re a part of our family,’” Admire said. “But, when you’re doing this at all our different sites, that’s kind of next-level stuff there.”

As VCP continues to expand its footprint nationwide, 2025 holds plans for two new villages. Admire said the organization intends to break ground on the Glendale site in February, with the groundbreaking at the Milwaukee location coming sometime in the second quarter of the year. LL