Alabama teen serves up lunch for truckers in need

Seventeen-year-old Alana Jordan of Auburn, Ala. made good use of her spare time this afternoon brightening the day of dozens of truckers passing through her town.

“The shortage of necessities right now opened my eyes to how important truck drivers are to my daily life,” she said. “I thought this project might show my appreciation for all the long hours they are putting in. I called it ‘Project Feed a Trucker.’”

The junior at Auburn High School, and her mother, Ensley, bought all items and supplies and set up a table around lunchtime at the Southbound Rest Area along I-85 near Auburn and provided sacked lunches of pre-packaged items such as tuna fish and crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, snacks and bottled water for any truck driver who walked up.

“We kept 6 ft. of distance, wore gloves and sanitized everything, of course,” Ensley said. “Alana just wanted to help truck drivers that might be finding it difficult to find places to eat right now! She just wanted to do something positive and be a blessing for these people, but I know she was just as much blessed in the joy she received today. Every trucker we met was very appreciative!”

Joann and Ricky Goins, owners of 3G Transport LLC out of Murfreesboro, Tenn., were among the 50 or so drivers who grabbed lunch.

The pandemic has shut down the couple’s hotshot trucks due to their main account halting productions and laying off employees amid health concerns. What work remains is hampered by obstacles like finding adequate parking to stop for a lunch break.

“We have been turned away from most of the drive-thru restaurants,” Joann said. “If you don’t have a vehicle you will not be served. So most of our options are for fast food (restaurants), which, of course, do not serve fresh vegetables or fresh fruit. To see a young lady that understood that our economy depends on trucks getting goods to the stores was comforting. I hope she truly understands what she is doing is actually restoring our faith in human kindness, and that is priceless.”

ATA president Mark Colson commended Alana’s gesture and goodwill toward a segment of the population often overlooked by the public, particularly younger people. “Never underestimate the human heart,” said Colson. “Joshua 1:9 calls us to be strong and courageous, and Alana’s compassion is a prime example of servant leadership during challenging times.”

Alana is in the health science career path at school and plans to eventually go into the health and medical field.