GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Kids’ Food Basket is always looking for volunteers, but a lack of drivers this holiday season was a particularly vulnerable spot for the organization. Recently, a local courier service stepped in to help fill in the gap.

“It was a very easy process for us to implement one of our drivers on a weekly cadence to offer that support for them,” Douglas Kessler, president of Professional Courier Services, said.

For the past couple of months, Kessler has rotated his drivers to help offer support and deliver to one of the many Kids’ Food Basket routes.

Around 10,000 sack supers are delivered every weekday to schools and various locations across four West Michigan counties. The dinners are filled with nutritious meals that help combat child hunger. When schools go on break, Kids’ Food Basket also packs break bags that may fill the gap of some missed meals during the holiday.

“We deliver shelf-stable foods with a longer-lasting menu for those holiday periods to continue to help those kids during their time off from school,” said Damon Bouwkamp, Kids’ Food Basket manager of volunteer services.

Kessler said his company’s route typically drops off hundreds of lunches to five schools within the Grand Rapids area. He said the first time he delivered the sack meals himself, a small child hugged him and thanked him for being there.

“Giving back in this capacity just means so much to us as an organization because we understand the direct benefit that Kids’ Food Basket is providing to these students across West Michigan,” he said.