Behind every truck that rolls out of God's Pantry Food Bank is the work of a whole team, and at the center of that team is our Transportation Manager, Stan Meers. This Truck Driver Appreciation Month, we're honored to shine a light on the person who keeps our routes running and our mission moving.
Ask Stan what a typical day looks like, and he'll tell you there isn't one. "Every day is a new day. It's different," he says. Our routes stay the same from month to month, but plenty of changes around them: how much product an agency has ordered, who needs time off, who calls off. "You just come in and get the food delivered."
That steady, get-it-done attitude defines Stan's approach. It also keeps food flowing to partner agencies across Central and Eastern Kentucky.
Of course, keeping a fleet on the road comes with challenges. "Having the food to deliver but also having the trucks in good mechanical condition," Stan explains. "They break down. You have drivers, and sometimes they call off. There are just a lot of variable factors." The team somehow makes it work.
When it comes to how transportation supports the Food Bank's mission, Stan keeps it simple: "The warehouse picks it, and my guys deliver it."
Simple, but far from small. Stan is proud of the team's reliability. "We rarely cancel anything other than when we have bad weather, and those routes have to be rescheduled. We really don't shut anything down." Even during special events and projects, deliveries continue as usual. "Those are normal route days. So, we're doing both at the same time, making sure everything from food to event materials gets delivered."
Stan wants the community to know what happens before a truck ever pulls up to a drop. "A lot of times, people don't see the drivers until they're there at the drop. But they come in, load their trucks, deliver the food, come back, and do it again."
That daily rhythm of loading, delivering, returning, and repeating is the backbone of our work.
Stan's favorite memory comes from the early days of COVID-19, when God's Pantry built boxes for Fayette County and delivered them directly to neighbors. Stan was driving then, and he remembers the lines. "One of the drops had close to 200 to 300 people." The team kept it up every week for a couple of years. "It felt like we were doing good. We were making a difference."
Stan, thank you for the leadership you bring to our transportation team. To Stan and every driver who loads up, hits the road, and shows up for Kentucky families day after day: you are essential to the fight against hunger, and we're grateful for you.
