Keeping them trucking: World’s largest pork snacks producer shines a light on the important road heroes

Bringing awareness to the truck driving community has been a passion of the Dallas-based company for more than a decade.

“Everything we do, and everything we buy, is touched by a truck driver,”​ said Mark Singleton, VP of Sales and Marketing at Southern Recipe and Rudolph Foods.

“Every year, we strive to support drivers as best we can. These men and women help fuel our families with food and comfort. We’ve been celebrating these important road heroes for more than a decade now, with our incredible charity partner, the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund.”​

The SCF is a 501(c)(3) charity that helps over-the-road/regional semi-truck drivers and their families who are out of work due to a recent illness or injury. Assistance may be in the form of direct payment to providers for household living expenses such as rent/mortgage, utilities, vehicle payments, and insurance. Since 2008, more than $4.5m has been paid directly to bill holders on behalf of over 3,700 drivers.

The SCF also provides health and wellness programmes such as smoking cessation, health challenges, at-home cancer screenings and free flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccines.

Free health services

Throughout August and into Truck Driver Appreciation Week (10-16 September), truck drivers are encouraged to sign up for free health screenings on the nonprofit’s website, including life-enhancing programmes like Rigs Without Cigs (to reduce tobacco intake), CDC-approved Diabetes Prevention Programme and Driven To be Healthy (to stay true to wellness goals), along with free vaccines.

SCF’s new GPS (Get Preventative Screenings) programme also gives truckers free cancer screening kits and help drivers check in on their health from the privacy of their truck, home or at a lab of their choosing.

“We want to support our road warriors in their health journey and let them know that they’re not alone,”​ said Shannon Currier, SCF’s director of Philanthropy.

“Partnering with brands like Southern Recipe helps us educate consumers and helps us share our wellness initiatives.”​

As such, Southern Recipe’s Truck Driver Appreciation Week celebration this year is extending beyond the driving community to reach out to fans to perpetuate the Tune Up Challenge on their social media communities to build awareness of the wellness programmes offered by the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund.

Every share will account as an entry for free product from Southern Recipe, and every trucker who signs up for a programme on the SCF website is entered to win a free case of pork rinds as well.