Cooking Cajun Army provides free meals to truckers out on the roads

Spending all day and night on the road can make it tough to get a hot meal. To help these workers out, one group is making sure truckers are not going without a good meal.

Truckers are an essential group working to make sure we have the supplies we need during the pandemic.

Many of these truckers are from out of state and they are delivering many of the supplies that have flown off our store shelves.

As truckers wait for their next assignment, it could be days or weeks before they get back to some home cooking.

So that’s why one Punta Gorda man is using his spoon and stove to say thanks.

“Let’s put it this way, if the truck drivers stop, we stop,” said Brett Cox, founder of Cooking Cajun Army.

As other businesses are shutting their doors, it’s getting harder for truckers on the road to find good food.

“The biggest thing is a lot of the small truck stops are closing. They can’t afford to stay open… I haven’t had a sit-down meal in a week and a half,” said Greg Swanson, owner of Swanees Trucking.

That’s where Cox and his cajun army cooking crew come in. He and his team are serving up a free plate of goulash with a side of thanks and gratitude for these essential workers.

“They are the heroes, the truck drivers right now,” Cox said.

And Swanson said he is just appreciative that people are thinking about truckers like himself in these times of uncertainty.

“It’s outstanding to see that people actually care about what we do,” Swanson said.

Cox is hoping his small gesture will inspire others to get out and provide help wherever it is needed.

“If you can help people, do it,” Cox said.

The Cooking Cajun Army collected donations so they can offer the meals free of charge, and plans to continue to their mission through the pandemic.

The group has also served meals to victims of recent natural disasters, like hurricanes Irma and Michael.