Big Things Are Happening in Saskatoon

2009 is the first year for Rosenau Saskatoon to come on board with the 18 Wheels of Christmas food drive, and they couldn't be doing better. Thanks to 18 Wheels Saskatoon coordinators Tim Rosenau and Carrie Willey, big things are brewing in Bridge City and the 18 Wheels trailer will make several stops to Saskatoon this holiday season!

The trailer was involved with the 19th annual Saskatoon Santa Clause Parade and it was a huge success!

Rosenau Saskatoon and the 18 Wheels program received honorable mention from the Festival of Trees in Saskatoon.

The are several more chances to donate to your local Saskatoon Food Bank with the 18 Wheels of Christmas program before our police escorted delivery to the food bank on December 14.

Join us at the Mall at Lawson Heights from 9am - 3pm on December 12 or The Centre Mall from 11am-3pm on December 13 and help fill the trailer.

18 Wheels Travels The Lloydminster Area

As with previous years, the 18 Wheels trailer is traveling through East Central Alberta with the Lloydminster Christmas Convoy!

On December 3, the convoy stopped at the East-Alta Co-Op in Vermilion, AB. With Lloydminster local radio station, The Goat, on site, donations poured in.

Then it was on to East-Alta Co-op in Wainwright on December 4.

The convoy will be back in Lloydminster on Saturday, December 5. We will be set up on site at the Co-op Marketplace and Safeway grocery store in Lloyminster.

Stay tuned for updates and progress in the Lloydminster 18 Wheels drive!

18 Wheels is trucking on in Calgary !

18 Wheels Calgary launched Oct 2^nd emailing and handing out our new flyers designed by Tori of Pro Trucker magazine. We had our firstmedia interview on Oct 8^th with Reed Black of LandLine Now out of Grain Valley Missouri a Sirius Radio Station. Reed has done a start and a finish with us for the last 2 years and it is always exciting talking with him. Pro Trucker Magazine, Truck News and Today’s Trucking each did a story on the 2009 18 Wheels of Christmas campaign to help kick start the drive.

There have been several big events in the Calgary area so far this year in support of the food drive:

November 14^th Douglas Square Sobey’s. 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Santa, the 53’ Christmas trailer and helpers spent the 2 hours handing out Christmas canes and accepting donations.

November 20^th The Annual Holiday Light-up Okotoks 5:30PM to 8:30PM

Our first ever evening engagement and we really enjoyed it. We had the original 48’ Christmas trailer all lit up ready to accept donations.

November 28^th Lake Bonavista Promenade 9:30 AM to 1:00PM 6^th year at this location and as always Santa and helpers enjoyed meeting the residents and accepting donations.


-- HELP SUPPORT THE 18 WHEELS CALGARY DRIVE --


As always, you can call Rosenau Transport and we will pickup your donations. New this year, you may always drop your food donations off to one of our collection bins set up around the city. See below for your closest collection bin.

• Univar Canada 4220 78 Ave SE
• Chief Hauling 5654 55^th St SE
• Bess Tank Lines 4646 32^nd St SE
• Mid West Surveys 2827 Sunridge Blvd SE
• Titan Transport # 11 1235 64^th Ave SE
• Telus World of Science 701 11^th St SW
• Maxim Truck & Trailer 6707 84^th St SE
• Singer Specialized  235132 84^th St SE
• Desa Glass 3195 9^th St SE
• Harrington Diesel #F 8240 31 St SE
• Alberta Council for Disability Services #19 3320 5^th Ave NE

Get Ready 2009! 18 Wheels Kicks Off Bigger Than Ever !

Well its that time of year again ! Time to show your support for the 18 Wheels of Christmas program and give a hand up to those less fortunate this holiday season and beyond. Every year is a huge success for this program, and it seems to grow larger each year.

This year, we welcome Rosenau Transport Saskatoon to the program. We know they will do well and we are very glad to see this program moving into Saskatchewan!

Once again, we are challenging everyone, especially those in the transportation industry to help support our cause and feed the hungry during the holidays. It has been a tough year, especially with the recession. No one was immune to the effects of the bad economy especially your local food banks. Just a few weeks ago, the Edmonton Food Bank reported a 71.5% increase in food hamper use. The Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank is reporting a 40% increase in demand from last year. And these numbers keep repeating all across the country.

You can help make a difference! Please help donate food or money to the 18 Wheels of Christmas program and support your local food banks. All donations of $250.00 or more will get your name on the side of our 18 Wheels of Christmas trailer. Your name will be seen by thousands of people all year long as this trailer move around Western Canada.

Contact your closest local Rosenau Service Centre to arrange a donation or pickup.

The Magic Begins With You !

Click on the pictures above to enlarge and read our Thank You Card!

Wrapping Up 2008!

2008 was a HUGE success for the 18 Wheels program !

The generousity of Albertans really shined through and our Food Banks are extremely grateful. In these tough times, there are many people who require a little extra help to make the holidays a cheerful time. Thanks to our sponsors and donors, we helped make this a little more possible.

A big thank you must go out to our contributors:

OCEAN TRAILER *** FIRST TRUCK *** THERMO KING *** ROSENAU TRANSPORT *** AIR LIQUIDE *** GRENCO *** DALE CHRISTENSEN *** TRUCK NEWS *** BESS TANK LINES ***COMPACT RENTALS *** WINGENBACK INC. *** GLOBAL TRANSPORT *** ALLIANCE BUILDING MAINTENANCE *** THE GEAR CENTRE *** THE EMPLOYESS OF NABORS DRILLING *** CATTLEBOYZ *** TST OVERLAND *** DIAMOND TRUCKS *** K-97 *** CISN 103.9 *** HOME DEPOT 7248 *** DRB MECHANICAL *** PRO TRUCKER *** TRIVEE TRANSPORT *** BRIAN'S PORT-A-POTTIES *** J&R HALL TRANSPORT *** CLARKE TRANSPORT *** HOPEWELL DISTRIBUTION *** TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE CALGARY *** LEDCOR CONSTRUCTION *** TRANSCOM FLEET *** BFI CANADA *** MERCHANTS OF LAKE BONAVISTA PROMENADE *** MERCHANTS OF DOUGLAS SQUARE SOBEYS *** MERCHANTS OF BELMONT SOBEYS *** MERCHANTS OF HAWKSTONE SOBEYS *** MERCHANTS OF MEADOWBROOK SOBEYS *** CONSOLIDATED FASTFRATE INC. *** SINGER SPECIALIZED LTD. *** 106.1 THE GOAT AND THE CHRISTMAS CONVOY *** MANITOULIN TRANSPORT *** BIG HORN TRANSPORT *** STYLE CRAFT PRINTING *** STAN POULSEN TRUCKING *** BOGHEAN & CO. ACCOUNTANTS *** GOUW QUALITY ONIONS *** VITRAN *** NESTLE CANADA *** CARON TRANSPORTATION *** STIER FINANCIAL *** FREIGHTLINER ***

18 WHEELS OF CHRISTMAS could not have done this without the generous contributions of these companies and individuals. Thank you.

And perhaps most importantly, we want to thank the public at large who continue to support and further this great cause through your donations of non-perishable food items and financial contributions wherever you see an 18 Wheels of Christmas collection point.

THE MAGIC BEGINS WITH YOU

Calgary Comes out as Champions!

Way to go Calgary!!! The 2008 18 Wheels of Christmas campaign was a huge success. The numbers are in and Calgary’s team and donors raised an astonishing $101,968.00 of food and cash donations. Because of the support of our donors we were able to assist the Christmas Food Drive in reaching a goal of more than $883,000.

We sure did not think we would achieve even a fraction of this. Our launch date was October 2, interest and donations trickle in from that date onwards and our anticipation starts to dwindle. Our 2 very special ladies Vyetta and Bev always lift our spirits by setting the dates they want the 18 Wheels trailer and team at 2 locations. The Lake Bonavista Promenade and the Douglas Square Sobey’s. Again this year we would be doing the Grey Cup weekend we had so much fun last year we were pumped to be doing this date again.

November 22nd we started at 9:30 AM at Lake Bonavista Promenade. The residents of this community are always supportive and generous of our venture and the need we are trying to fill. From the time the doors to Safeway opened until our 1 o’clock end time it was a steady stream of shoppers and donations. One lady went in for a jug of milk and brought out a shopping cart full of groceries for the trailer thanking us for what we are doing, grabbing her jug of milk, hugging Santa off she went to continue her busy day. This would be repeated during our 3 ½ hour stint time and time again. On this day we were able to fill 11 skids with food.

Grey Cup Day November 23 not only did Calgary bring home the Cup, 18 Wheels of Christmas was a huge winner too from our 3 ½ hours at the Douglas Square Sobey’s. The generosity of this community cleaned out the pre-packaged food hamper bags. There were many shoppers purchasing Grey Cup Party items but this did not stop them from donating. We packed up the trailer with 7 more skids of food. A trend we noticed at both these locations were the families with their children normally we saw the adults bring the donations over but this year the parents stood back while the children brought the donations. It solidified for us that giving is not dead.

Nothing happened for Calgary until the 2nd week of December. The trailer was already on its way for Edmonton to work their magic and we feared we would not be able to compete what with the hype coming from Ken, Jodi and Justin the Edmonton 18 Wheels of Christmas Team.

While both the 18 Wheels of Christmas trailers were in Edmonton we certainly did not let that stop us. Our monetary donations started rolling in which meant shopping for Food Bank Wish List items. Also donations from other transportation and support industry started arriving this meant sorting and rewrapping each skid according to food items.

Because of the kind donations from all our supporters 18 Wheels was able to deliver to the Mustard Seed Shelter in the Calgary Foothills Industrial area 4 skids of personal toiletry items. When a call came out from the Vibe 98.5 the Mustard Seed was in dire need of turkeys for their annual Toyurkey Drive 18 Wheels was able to give a hand up with 48 turkeys, this would assist in their goal of 200 hampers for families in need.
We delivered to the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank on December 19th the 53’ 18 Wheels of Christmas trailer full of food and an envelope for $7,648.00 receipted food.

For thousands of people in Calgary putting food on the table is a struggle. Last year nearly 90,000 Calgarians went to the Food Bank to receive emergency hampers. 43% were children. Thanks to all our contributors support children in this city and surrounding areas will not have to go to school without having eaten a proper breakfast. Their parents can go to work with energy and hope, and without stressing what they will put on the table for dinner that night. Thank you all for choosing to support the 18 Wheels of Christmas 2008 campaign.

Thank you to our strong team of volunteers consisting of management, administrative personnel, professional drivers, warehouse staff and mechanics. Special thanks to our graphics team. Without your dedication and time we could not have achieved the success this campaign has had. We look forward to next year and with all your help we hope to beat 2008’s total.

BIG Delivery in Edmonton !

18 Wheels 2008 - Update for Edmonton:

The 18 Wheels Edmonton team pulled into the Edmonton Food Bank on December 16. The team was met by very excited Food Bank staff. Santa Clause himself hauled in a full 53' trailer while his helpers followed closely with a full 48' trailer.

It was Edmonton's second year involved in the 18 Wheels Christmas drive, and it was a HUGE success. We didn't do it alone though, and have to thank many people.

First off, we have to thank the entire staff that dedicated their time to this cause. The program was run and organized by Ken Rosenau, Jodi Manning, and Justin Fillier of the Rosenau Edmonton terminal. We also must send a huge thank you out to CISN FM 103.9 and Terry Evans and his crew from the K97 radio station. As well, all the many sponsors that donated food and money.

We teamed up with CISN for a day of fundraising at three Sobeys locations in Edmonton. WOW ! Even despite current economic problems, Edmontonians continue to show just how generous and charitable they can be. We would also like to extend our thanks to everyone at Sobeys.

Next was a huge event with Terry Evans of the K97 morning show. Terry braved the frigid Edmonton winter and lived in our trailer in support of the food bank. Terry came on the radio every morning urging Edmontonians to donate. He vowed not to get out of the trailer until the food pushed him out..... and he lived up to that promise. Terry filled our trailer with the help of many people, including local firemen and military personnel.

On behalf of the Rosenau Edmonton team and the Edmonton Food Bank, thank you to all our sponsors and everyone that donated.

Edmonton Puts The Hammer Down!

Well, when the Edmonton terminal of Rosenau Transport decides to step up to the plate and do their part for 18 Wheels Of Christmas, they do it in style and size large!

Under the watchful eye of the 18 Wheels, Edmonton Coordinator, Jodi Manning, the Edmonton crew has already garnered lots of media interest in their 18 Wheels activities. They have even started receiving financial donations, including a cheque from Wingenback Transport as well as Global Transport and promises for more to come. We cannot overestimate the value of the support that we get from our partners in the Transportation Industry when it comes to the support of such a worthwhile cause.

The Edmonton Crew has many collection plans and we will update you has they become solidified, (is that really a word?).

November 28th The 18 Wheels Trailers will be at 3 Sobeys locations along with CISN 103.9 FM

December 15th The 18 Wheels crews will be heading out to 3 different Diamond Truck locations to collect the food that this outstanding company is collecting for 18 Wheels.

December 16th Delivery Day to the Edmonton Food Bank!

We wish Edmonton luck with all their collection efforts and we can't wait to see some pics and hear your stories as these events unfold. Check back often, we will keep you updated!

The Ball...errrr...Boulder is Rolling!

Well, it only seems fitting that our 18 Wheels Campaign kicks off where it all started! Calgary has a couple dates lined up for collection this year and we are thrilled to be back at Lake Bonavista Promenade and Douglas Square Sobey's. These two locations have been such strong supporters of our 18 Wheels Campaign that a year without you would just not be the same. So keep an eye out for that beautiful 18 Wheels Trailer being pulled by the Rosenau Truck on:

November 22nd 9:30 am to 1:00 pm Lake Bonavista Promenade
November 23rd 9:30 am to 12:00 pm Douglas Square Sobeys

They will be taking donations of food and cash at both locations. All cash donations are used to purchase the often overlooked, but, much needed baby food for the Food Bank. And, just in case you are new to our website and have not had the chance to read about The 18 Wheels Of Christmas campaign, it is important to know that "ALL" donations collected in a community stay in that community.

We will keep you posted on the success of these collection days and remember, if you can't be there to help or donate, please, make sure you drop an email to 18wheels_xmas@rosenau.org to find out how you can help make sure that no one goes hungry this holiday season and beyond!

A New Year Kicks Off!

18 Wheels is set to roll again! Event planning is underway and we are sure this will be our biggest year yet!

Stay tuned to the webpage and we will keep you posted on all the exciting news. And remember, 18 Wheels is nothing without our partners and customers in the Transportation Industry,so please, if you have not already done so, contact us to find out how you can help put food into your local Food Bank!