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Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) Commissioner Rick Pate paid a visit to the Selma Area Food Bank (SAFB) Wednesday afternoon to present a donation of 21,600 eggs from Cal-Maine Foods delivered by N.G. Whatley Trucking, a member of the Alabama Trucking Association (ATA).

Though Cal-Maine is a Jackson, Mississippi based company, all 21,600 eggs donated to the SAFB are Alabama-laid eggs from Alabama chickens in Robertsdale.

“These eggs are a great source of local protein for the people of Alabama,” said Pate.

The eggs that made it to Selma Wednesday afternoon were only a fraction of the 280,000 total eggs that Cal-Maine donated to the ADAI.

Pate said distributing the hundreds of thousands of eggs to the state’s food banks required weeks of planning.

“Anything like this that happens takes lots of partners,” he said.

Pate expressed his appreciation for the ATA, who Pate said were immediately on board to oversee the transportation of the eggs.

“Truckers are problem solvers. Through the years, we have coordinated or supported dozens of relief efforts sourcing and moving critical supplies and equipment for numerous natural disasters, including hurricanes, floods, wildfires and many others,” said ATA CEO Mark Colson. “We thank ATA members, LB3 LLC, N.G. Whatley Trucking, and R.E Garrison for volunteering manpower and resources to deliver these eggs. This project will certainly touch the lives of many needy Alabamians. The eggs will help local food banks provide hope and nourishment for numerous Alabama families. Alabama Truckers are proud to do our part.”

SAFB Executive Director Jeff Harrison expressed his thanks for the donation of eggs to the food bank from Cal-Maine and the ADAI and the truck drivers that delivered the eggs safely on Wednesday.

“It’s an exciting day for us here at the food bank to get a product that so many people need and use,” he said. “A lot of people don’t realize that products have to get somewhere, and they have to get there on a truck. People take truck drivers for granted but I think here lately that appreciation for truck drivers improved and people are realizing how important they are and how much they do.”

Pate closed the presentation Wednesday by expressing how great distributing the Cal-Maine eggs across Alabama has been.

“This whole thing has been a great experience in terms of seeing how much people care and how much effort goes into getting people food,” Pate said.