Next week at this time, we will be fat and happy from Thanksgiving dinner. We hope you will be fat and happy too.
Here is a little treat that will help you get there. It is a delicious and easy recipe, one of our holiday favorites. We call it Fat and Happy Pumpkin Bread!
Ingredients
2-3/4 cup sugar 3-1/2 cups flour
1 cup shortening 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups pumpkin 1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon (each) cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice
1 cup (each) raisins, chopped walnuts
Put sugar, shortening, eggs and pumpkin in a large bowl and cream together until well blended. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
Line the bottom of two 9 x 5 loaf pans with wax paper and pour one-half of the mixture in the first pan and the other half in the second pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
Enjoy!
ACS MultiMedia
Trucker Buddy of the Month
Paul Moerer
The Trucker Buddy program, which pairs professional truck drivers with elementary schoolchildren in a pen-pal relationship to supplement students’ education, is very valuable with just its simple requirement of one postcard per week. Drivers generously volunteer their time and spend their own money to correspond with students throughout the school year, and with just one postcard per week, they bring education to life and make learning fun.
Yet many Trucker Buddies go above and beyond the basic requirement by supplementing their teachings with literature, gifts and more, which adds to the already positive and life-long impact on hundreds of thousands of students brought about by the basic program. In some cases, Trucker Buddies perform such incredible acts of kindness and generosity that they have a profound effect on the entire community for years to come.
Paul Moerer is one of these Trucker Buddies. In addition to being “an excellent Trucker Buddy in regard to correspondence,” as teacher Melissa Kostka wrote in her nomination, Moerer and his family also reached out to the families of the students in his class. From helping a needy family at Christmas, to providing dog food for needy families, to providing an instrument for a student who wanted to join the orchestra, to providing needed winter clothing for the entire school, Moerer’s generosity spread goodwill throughout a small community in
Wisconsin.
Yet Moerer is not interested in accolades. So instead, this announcement as his selection as the October ACS MultiMedia Trucker Buddy Driver of the Month will focus on his positive impact on the education of Kostka’s fourth-grade students.
“The letters and postcards he sends to the students allow them to experience places they otherwise would not have access to,” said Kostka, a teacher at Kosciuszko Elementary School in Cudahy, Wis. “From Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Illinois to Mexico and Nassau, Bahamas, the students have enjoyed mapping his travels on our bulletin board and are always eager to see where Trucker Buddy will go next.”
Moerer corresponded from the Bahamas because even when on vacation he continues his volunteer work with Trucker Buddy. He sent a souvenir, noted student Brittany: “When he went on vacation he sent us a conch shell that is orangeish and flaky.”
Besides the traveling aspect, Moerer really connects with the students through the letters, Kostka said. “He shares stories about his own family and his own elementary school experiences, and often takes time to write a personal message to each student. Also, he always responds to their questions.”
Student Leo confirmed this: “He always writes back to us. Every time that we write no matter how many questions we ask he answers all of them.”
The program got off to a good start when Moerer, along with his dogs Hither and Yon, visited the school so that the children could put a face with his name.
“First and foremost, Mr. Moerer is a conscientious Trucker Buddy,” Kostka said.
“During his initial visit he made time to converse with each student to make them feel special, all the while keeping an eye on his two dogs, who also came to visit. The students were enthralled and the program was off to a good start.”
Writing at school year’s end, Kostka and her students were still enthralled.
“As you can see, my students have found a treasure in their Trucker Buddy. Mr. Paul Moerer has been a friend, teacher, tour guide and generous benefactor,” she said. “Mr. Moerer truly deserves to be recognized as Trucker Buddy of the Month.”
Moerer, a company driver with First Freight Express, Fort Atkinson, Wis., lives in Elkhorn, Wis.
Each Trucker Buddy Driver of the Month receives a personalized jacket, along with a check for $300 to spend on the class and $200 in Trucker Buddy merchandise, compliments of program sponsor ACS MultiMedia Advertising ( www.tmi-multimedia.com), the advertising agency of choice for the trucking industry. They also receive an IdleAire adaptor ( www.IdleAire.com), a Koolatron cooler and a complete set of Airtabs for their tractor or trailer ( www.airtab.com). Five owner operators have received a set of steer tires from Continental Tire. The class will receive a CrossCountry USA game from Ingenuity Works ( www.ingenuityworks.com), which will help them learn more about how trucks move freight across the continent.
Moerer is among some 3,500 other professional drivers who share their time with elementary classes throughout the world. The only criteria to be a Trucker Buddy is to be a professional truck driver with a CDL who is willing to send a postcard each week to a class in grades two through eight. Drivers and teachers can find out more about the program by visiting www.truckerbuddy.org or calling 1-800-MY-BUDDY.
Trucker Buddy is dependent on corporate sponsors such as ACS MultiMedia Advertising TruckDriver.com to fund the program.
Trucker Buddy International is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to helping educate and mentor schoolchildren via a pen pal relationship between professional truck drivers and children in grades two through eight. Trucker Buddy matches classes of students with professional truck drivers, and every week drivers share news about their travels with their class. Once a month, students write letters to their drivers. Students’ skills in reading, writing, geography, mathematics, social studies and history are enhanced and learning is fun. Since 1992, Trucker Buddy has helped educate more than a million schoolchildren while introducing them to caring, compassionate men and women who help drive the economy. Trucker Buddy has participants in North America, Australia, Iceland, New Zealand,
Africa and India. For more information about Trucker Buddy International, visit www.truckerbuddy.org or call 1-800-MY-BUDDY.
TruckDriver.com
Carrier of the Month
Barr-Nunn Transport
Barr-Nunn Transportation, Inc. is a privately owned, dry van truckload carrier. Founded by Robert Sturgeon in 1982, Barr-Nunn has grown to a fleet of nearly 700 tractors and over 1,700 trailers. By providing outstanding shipping service to manufacturers and users of paper products, plastic and rubber, building materials, appliances, hardware, castings, animal feeds and a host of other products, Barr-Nunn has become a nationwide carrier, serving customers across the United States. Their large customer base and ability to efficiently meet the needs of shippers across the country have made Barr-Nunn a stable operation -- and one that is here to stay.
In today's uncertain economic times, many trucking operations may come and go. But when you work with Barr-Nunn Transportation, you can rest assured that they are in business for the long haul, and they will be here for many miles down the road.
Barr-Nunn Transportation prides itself on having one of the best pay packages available today. They want you to shop and compare so you can see for yourself.
To assist you, they have developed the Trucking Employment Assessment Monitor, or T.E.A.M.
The Trucking Employment Assessment Monitor lists the strengths of Barr-Nunn's plan, and makes it convenient for you to compare other carriers with whom you may be considering employment.
To use the Trucking Employment Assessment Monitor, click on the position you are interested in below. Then simply print the web page that is displayed, and begin comparing Barr-Nunn to other carriers.
They are confident that you will agree that their pay package is hard to beat.
Company Drivers
Owner Operators
To find out more about Barr-Nunn’s outstanding pay packages call 888-999-7576 or go to www.barr-nunn.com.
When you’re ready, Barr-Nunn will be here.
Now comes the moment we have all been waiting for. What year was the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade held and how many of you knew it?
12% of you said 1894
34% said 1904
30% said 1924
24% said 1934
The correct answer to the TruckDriver.com Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Survey is - 1924.
We think it is safe to assume that not many of you googled it before you made your selection.
You won't have to google anything for our next survey, The TruckDriver.com Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Survey II - The Sequel.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend, keep on truckin' and please drive safely.
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