It’s Truck Driver Appreciation Week

NTFB recognizes its transportation team and the crucial role they play in closing the hunger gap.

The North Texas Food Bank could not do what it does in the fight against hunger without the commitment of its drivers.

Whether they’re loading long-haul semi-trucks with pallets for delivery to partner pantries across the NTFB’s 13-county service area or they’re picking up donations at retail stores, the 14 drivers collectively travel around 1,800 miles per day to ensure neighbors facing hunger have access to food.

“Most of our drivers are well-experienced,” says Dispatch Coordinator Joe Crawford. “They’re here to try to take care of the people who take care of the people.”

Driver Terry Malone Jr. returned to the NTFB just over a year ago but also worked with the food bank during the pandemic. He says getting to be on the front lines of distribution during the pandemic really drove home the mission for him and that even though he’s not seeing neighbors now, he knows from his deliveries what an impact the NTFB’s agency partners are making.

“I like being able to give to people,” he says.

He and the other 13 drivers typically arrive at 5 a.m. for an all-teams meeting with Transportation Coordinator Gary Upchurch. Once they have their assignments, drivers load up their trucks and are on their way.

On a recent morning, Terry’s first stop was in nearby Richardson at Network of Community Ministries. For others, though, the morning may take them to one of NTFB’s rural counties or to a major retailer that is making a food donation.

Trung Dinh is responsible for picking up donations at the same retail locations each week, though he also makes deliveries.

He and Terry both say having regular stops makes it easier to build relationships with people and to connect with the agencies that are ensuring meals get distributed to the neighbors who need them most.

The team of drivers delivers about 150 orders per day across NTFB’s 10,000-square-mile service area, which equates to around 2.5 million pounds of food each week.

Thank you, NTFB Drivers Richard Castillo, Trung Dinh, Ken Franklin, Freddy Fredrick, Michael Lewis, Terry Malone Jr., Ivan Ledesma Morales, Daniel Nguyen, Luis Portillo, Josh Rodriguez, Jay Wicker, Wayne Whisenhunt, Sergio Zambrana and Jose Zuniga! And thanks to Transportation Associate Kelsen Chaney, Transportation Coordinator Gary Upchurch and Dispatch Coordinator Joe Crawford! (Read more about Joe and his 30 years at NTFB here).

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week runs September 15-21.