Vancouver Island Streets Light Up With The Holiday Spirit Of Giving

Nov 20, 2019 - 5 years ago

Mark Volk from H. Volk Transport Ltd. out of Victoria, BC was one of the festive participants in last year’s Annual IEOA Truck Convoy & Food Drive.

Front Page Story: Island convoy raises donations for local food banks with decorated big rig parade through the Victoria, BC area.

A convoy of about 80 colourfully-lit commercial trucks and equipment, including Santa, will make its way through the streets of Vancouver Island once again for the 21st Annual Island Equipment Owners Association Truck Light Convoy and Food Drive on Saturday, December 7th.

This annual festive event delights spectators with big rigs decorated with thousands of bright lights, while collecting non-perishable food donations for three area food banks — The Mustard Seed Food Bank, Goldstream Food Bank, and the Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank. People are encouraged to bring donations with them when they come to watch the fun roll past. The IEOA has collected over 173,000 lbs of food in the last 20 years of convoy efforts, raising over $50,000 in money donations for the local food banks.

The Truck Light Convoy starts marshalling at Ogden Point around 3:30 pm and ready to roll with a police escort at 5:45 pm. The route makes its way to Oak Bay, back into Victoria, through Saanich and out to the West Shore communities. It is a 35-km route finishing at Western Speedway around 8:30 pm. Hot dogs and hot chocolate will be available and the public will get a chance to see the glow up close.

“The participants are amazed at the thousands of people lining the route each year and do it for the friendly waves and cheers of all the smiling faces watching them,” said Wendy Watt, manager of the Association. “We are very proud of being able to give back to our local community and share some holiday spirit to brighten everyone’s evening!”

Some of the rigs are equipped with GPS trackers, so you can monitor the parade’s progress in real time. CHEK news and Victoria Buzz will be broadcasting the event with live feeds, ensuring those watching from home can enjoy the show. The 35-km long route takes about three hours for the trucks to roll through.

About the IEOA

The quality and dependability of the membership, whose skill, capability and integrity have been established in the area, are the reasons why you deal with a greater measure of confidence with a member of the Island Equipment Owners Association. Over the years the focus of the organization has been invigorated and expanded with particular emphasis on filling needs within the community that benefit and relate to members of the Association. The extraordinary way in which so many of our members come together to support our community projects and the Truck Light Convoy and Food Drive encourages us to continue the founding traditions of the IEOA.

For more information about start time, the parade route, food donation locations, and links to donate online, please visit https://www.ieoa.ca/trucklightconvoyinfo.html.