Truckers for Troops 2019 raises $32,574 to support U.S. military

OOIDA’s Truckers for Troops 2019 saw truckers showing their support for U.S. military personnel at home and abroad, by raising $32,574 during the campaign. That brings the total raised via Truckers for Troops to more than $667,500.

Nearly 1,700 members participated in the event, which ran from Monday, Nov. 11, through Friday, Nov. 15.

OOIDA matches 10% of new and renewed memberships paid and donations during the campaign to fund care packages for troops overseas and to provide needed supplies to long-term care facilities treating wounded veterans. Veterans are a huge part of the trucking industry overall, and more than one-third of all OOIDA members have served in the military.

In 2015, the Association expanded the program’s mission to include supplying needed items to various medical care facilities for wounded or needy veterans back in the states.

To date, the Association has sent more than 3,200 large care packages and provided items to nearly 39,000 military personnel stationed in war zones. All the purchasing, organizing and packing of the boxes is handled by OOIDA staff volunteers, ensuring that 100% of the money raised is used to purchase items and cover shipping.

OOIDA requests the names and addresses of troops serving in active combat zones or veteran facilities with unmet needs to add to the Association’s list of recipients. Call the name and address in to Nikki Johnson at OOIDA at 816-229-5791. You may also email her at Troops@OOIDA.com. Be sure to include an address and a projected stateside return date for individuals.

Those combat zones include Afghanistan, the Kosovo area of Yugoslavia, and the Arabian Peninsula areas, which include the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, part of the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the countries of Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In addition, the Association seeks handmade cards or letters for inclusion in care packages. If you would like to include a card or letter in the package, please send it to OOIDA, attention: Truckers for Troops, P.O. Box 1000; Grain Valley, MO 64029. Towns or school names can be included, but please do not include last names or other personal information.

You can listen to the Truckers for Troops 2019 telethon podcasts here.