A Great American Story

By Wendi Strauch Mahoney

https://uncoverdc.com/2022/03/11/senator-ted-cruz-visits-the-peoples-convoy-in-hagerstown-md/

Excerpts

The truckers work very hard to maintain a consistent speed of 40-45 mph and are generally spaced evenly to avoid the “slinky effect” while in formation. The slinky effect is just as it sounds. Cars weaving in and out cause the convoy to slow down suddenly or break, and it causes dangerous contraction and expansion of the length of the convoy, which can lead to accidents. Often vehicles surrounding the convoy are not aware of how dangerous it can be to jump in or weave in and out of the trucks.

Managing the sheer numbers of donations and supplies coming into the Hagerstown encampment is no small task. Supply trucks roll in daily, requiring many man-hours to unload, organize, and distribute. The truckers are extremely grateful for the support they have received. They are also thankful for the core group of local volunteers, some traveling from more than one hour away to show up consistently to help organize the many donations. Perishables must be unloaded immediately, and other supplies can stay on the trucks to save time and labor when the truckers ultimately move on. One donor donated “100 lbs of meat and the freezer with it,” said Kelly. When asked what the public can do to support the truckers, Kelly noted that cash cards are the most helpful. “Many of these truckers came all the way from California and are now starting to feel financial pain from not working for over two weeks. The cash cards help a lot,” said Kelly.

This convoy operation is truly a family affair. Children in the convoy have been recruited to help distribute snacks.

Chef George Montgomery and his volunteer crew showed up over the weekend to serve the convoy a hot breakfast. Another Chef has been cooking the weekday breakfasts. Others have also shown up to cook other meals in the parking lot surrounding the track. Toward the back of the lot, “a woman has been cooking around 300 meals a day under a tent,” 

Multiple local groups contributed manpower and food, especially during the initial weekend at the track. In advance of the convoy’s arrival, Baltimore area resident Tony DeCesare secured both the track and eight showers for the convoy. Showers are a real godsend for truckers who often have to go days without a shower. 

One of the volunteers, Kate Strauch Sullivan, drove the three-hour round trip several times from her Baltimore area home to ensure that volunteers were organized and donations properly distributed. Another mom, Criste May, bought cigarettes and dip for the truckers. Criste also cooked up some sweatshirts at home with her DIY decal press machine for the volunteers to ensure the truckers knew they were loved. The group of mothers raised over $3000 in cash in a matter of days, $2000 of which was donated by a man in South Carolina.

“These truckers have been the most friendly, honest, hard-working people I have ever met. I was told they would leave the Speedway as they found it, and they have. I have never seen a group that respects someone’s property so well. The trucker volunteers are the hardest workers I have ever seen and are not getting paid for (keeping the grounds tidy.) it has restored my faith that there are still hard-working Americans in this country.”