Sometimes You Just Have to Stop

A lot of attention has been paid to the heroic efforts of the numerous volunteers who have filled and stacked the millions of sandbags along the Red River.  Their efforts to protect the homes and property along the river will not be forgotten.

But there are others working just as hard in less visible ways.  Take for instance the truck drivers carrying loads of clay form barrow pits to dike construction sites along the river.  Driving for as much as twelve hours, back and forth between the pit and the construction sites, their work is as vital if not as visible as those throwing sandbags.

Sometimes you just have to stop to see the need.  Canteen driver, Dave Hinkley did just that.  After checking with the Army Corps of Engineers who were administering the pit, he pulled in alongside the row of trucks entering the pit where he and his canteen crew began to serve the more than 55 trucks, equipment operators and contractor staff.

“These guys drive for hours at a time. Most of them have no one to talk to or interact with.  It’s in the truck, to the pit, to the site, dump and repeat.  So when they see us their faces light up, the smiles come out, and they really appreciate the water, sandwiches and chips,” said Hinkley. “You really know that you’re making a difference in their day.”

Most of the drivers were in a rush to deliver their loads.  They didn’t have time to stop their trucks, get out, and to walk over to the Salvation Army’s canteen unit, so Hinkley and the other volunteers on the canteen delivered drinks and snacks to the drivers, passing them through the windows drive-thru style.

One driver, however, made it a point to stop and to get out of his truck.  His father had been a member of the ND National Guard when the tornado hit Fargo in ’59, assigned to a traffic control point.  He stood his post but wasn’t relived for more than twelve hours.  It was the Salvation Army trucks that stopped for him, to offer him coffee and food, and to let him know that they appreciated what he was doing.  “This trucker wanted to make sure that we knew,” said Hinkley, “that both he and his dad would never forget the kindness shown to them by the Salvation Army.”

Sometimes you just have to stop.