Marie Munro was one of hundreds of truckers sidelined in Sicamous for close to 24 hours last Wednesday.
Part of a long line of semis that stretched from Sicamous to the Skyline Truck Stop in Malakwa, Munro considered herself lucky to be stuck in a community.
The 48-year old trucker, with 20 years of experience, has been sidelined along the Trans-Canada before but said she was amazed when a knock came on the side of her truck door Tuesday evening.
"I rolled down the window and a woman said 'care package,' and handed me two foil-wrapped packages," said Munro, noting she spied a couple with a white pickup working their way along the line, but it was too dark and happened so quickly she had no further details. "I said what's this? She said steak dinner. It was barbecued steak, potatoes and veggies and it was really tasty. I scarfed it down right away."
Although she likes living in her truck and enjoys the amenities such as a heater, Internet access and a toaster oven, she had not yet made dinner.
Munro, who had been stopped with her feline travelling companion, Turtle, since 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, was very touched by the thoughtfulness of the couple, who she noted, would have been without power themselves.
That somebody turned out to be Sicamous resident Barb Makota and her partner Serge Miller, who were without power and were heading down the road to stay with a friend who has a wood-burning fireplace.
Makota found steak in her freezer and barbecued that and some veggies and dropped off the care packages to truckers on the way.
"We had fun doing it; it felt really good to be able to help people out and be generous," said Makota, pointing out her partner was a truck driver for 30 years.
"My heart sort of went out to the truckers; I know they’d been stuck. I felt so bad for them."
Makota says she was touched by Munro's public acknowledgment of her care package.
Munro meanwhile said several other truckers were also surprised and pleased by the couple's generosity and by the operators of the local Husky, who were handing out free sandwiches and beverages.
While she has been stuck along the Trans-Canada more than once, and received special food baskets from local church groups when parked at truck stops over Christmas, she has never experienced this kind of community generosity.
"It's really nice to see people are still caring about people," she said. "I want to say a huge thank you to Sicamous, especially considering they were without power."
Munro wishes as much care and attention could be given to the Trans-Canada Highway.
"It's highway one – death highway; if it's not avalanches it's crashes," she says, calling for better road maintenance. "I notice just between Christmas and New Year, it's great running. But the rest of the time, where are the plow trucks, where is the sand on the road?"
Munro says if the province is going to privatize road maintenance, they need to have more oversight.
"This isn't about money, this is about our lives," she says. "Don't privatize; or make the maintenance people liable."
In terms of accidents, Munro says the trucking industry is suffering and there is a shortage of experienced drivers.
"You used to have to have five to 10 years experience before you could drive the highway, but now they're taking drivers right out of (truck-driving) school," she says.
"You need experience out here, it can be dangerous out here."