Truckers For Troops set for annual November fundraising

Truckers For Troops will host its fall fundraiser Nov. 11-17 with an aim to add to the more than $800,000 it has raised for active military personnel and veterans.

During the 2024 campaign, truckers can join OOIDA or renew a membership for $35 ($10 off the regular $45 yearly dues), with 10% of that money going toward Truckers For Troops.

OOIDA will match that 10% dollar for dollar.

Utilizing these funds and the generous contributions of donors year-round, Truckers For Troops has sent more than 3,200 care packages and served more than 39,000 members of the military since OOIDA established the program in 2007.

The care packages, a cornerstone of the original campaign, aren’t a shoebox stuffed with a few goodies like one might imagine. They weigh upwards of 70 pounds and are packed with practical items like socks as well as fun stuff such as squirt guns and silly string. The care packages typically have enough contents to serve an entire unit.

Anyone interested in donating to Truckers For Troops can do so at OOIDA.com/truckers-for-troops. For more information about how to request a care package, email Troops@OOIDA.com.

More than a one-week effort

In May, as part of Military Appreciation Month, Truckers For Troops held an additional fundraising effort with 100% of money raised going directly to care packages and the Veterans Community Project.

Additionally, in July, Truckers For Troops extended its charitable contributions to VCP’s St. Louis location with a $10,000 donation. The organization has previously made similar donations as well as participated in events at VCP’s headquarters in Kansas City, Mo.

“We do have the care package program, but we also wanted to make sure that we include veterans here in the United States and people who have served,” OOIDA Director of Public Relations Norita Taylor told KTVI-TV in St. Louis during the July event. “Our members, who are small-business truckers … some of them are veterans or they like everyone have relatives or friends that are veterans. They want to show their support in any way they can.”

Along with the check, OOIDA’s tour truck delivered 125 backpacks filled with snacks and hygiene kits to VCP St. Louis.

“We hope that we can do more, and we’re always looking to do more,” Taylor said.

Truckers For Troops’ latest in-person event and contribution took place on Oct. 9 at the VCP location in Sioux Falls, S.D. LL