Two charity events aimed at helping those in the local Minneapolis MN community and nationwide will be part of the kickoff of the 2007 National Truck Driving Championships in Minneapolis August 21-25, according to information from the American Trucking Associations.
ATA, sponsors of the event, and others in the trucking industry will join with the American Red Cross to collect blood Thursday and Friday during the championship. A booth, staffed by the America's Road Team Captains, will be set up outside the competition floor to encourage both participants and spectators to donate blood.
In addition, a donation event to benefit America's Second Harvest, a nationwide network of food banks, also will be conducted during the competition. The fund-raising initiative will unite the ATA, the Minnesota Trucking Association, companies of competing drivers, driver participants, and competition spectators in raising funds to feed the hungry in Minnesota. In addition, the remaining non-perishable food from the National Truck Driving Championships will be donated to area food banks.
The National Truck Driving Championships includes the individual winners in eight competing categories from each of the 50 states. Nearly 400 top professional truck drivers are expected to travel to Minneapolis to compete in their respective classes. On Saturday night, August 25, one contestant will drive away as the National Grand Champion Truck Driver. The event annually attracts over 2,000 cheering friends, family, colleagues and interested spectators. For more information, visit the 2007 National Truck Driving Championships Web site by clicking here.