Hundreds of truck drivers stranded by catastrophic flooding in Hope, B.C., were able to get a good meal thanks to the efforts of volunteer groups.
Around 300 truck drivers have been trapped in Hope for days after landslides, road washouts, and flooding cut off almost all major transport routes.
Some truckers have been able to fly out of Hope to safety, but many others aren’t able to leave their loads behind and were stranded with dwindling food supplies.
After hearing about the plight of the stuck truckers, Sikh-based non-profit disaster response group Khalsa Aid Canada began organizing to make sure that the truckers stuck behind with their loads didn’t have to go hungry.
With help from community volunteers in Vancouver who took over the shopping and cooking responsibilities and a donated flight from London Air Services, Khalsa Aid was able to bring food, drink, and other supplies to the stranded truckers.
In the video below, group members hand out pizza to more than 30 truckers at one truck stop location. The group said that they also offered to provide hotels for the drivers, but that most won’t leave their loads.
On Thursday, Canadian transportation officials were able to open a single lane of Highway 7 westbound for commercial vehicles to allow truckers stranded in Hope to make their way toward the Lower Mainland.
For more on Khalsa Aid’s efforts to feed the stuck truckers, check out Global B.C.’s video report below.