J.B. Hunt Driver Wins School Supplies for Daughter’s Class
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NEWARK, N.J. — Jihad Simmons, a driver for J.B. Hunt Transport, won $1,000 worth of school supplies for his daughter’s first-grade class through the company’s annual Adopt-a-Class contest, which allows company drivers to nominate their child or grandchild’s elementary school classroom for a donation of school supplies.
Simmons had to write a short essay explaining why his daughter Sa’Bria’s class at KIPP Seek Academy, a charter school, deserved to win the supplies. He submitted his essay in November. The company’s corporate office then selects the winning essays and delivers the supplies to the school.
“So I sent [the essay] in, didn’t think we would win, because opportunities like this don’t happen where we come from,” Simmons said. “And we did. They made all the arrangements, they reached out to the teachers, they gave them a list of everything they need, and my god, did all the research, and boarded everything, and now I’m here to deliver.”
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Simmons personally delivered the supplies to the class Jan. 15 on a 36-foot truck from J.B. Hunt. The first-graders, decked out in their Adopt-a-Class shirts from the company, were visibly excited and chanted “J.B. Hunt! J.B. Hunt!” at one point. Each student got to sit in the truck’s passenger seat and pull the horn.
Christine Romanos, one of Sa’Bria’s co-teachers, put together an Amazon wish list for the company after finding out they had been selected. Her chosen items included pencils, whiteboards, markers, construction paper, glue sticks and more.
Sa’Bria’s class shared the donated supplies with the other first-grade classrooms.
Sa’Bria was excited about the donations, and said she was happy “because it was the first time my dad came to the school and delivered stuff for the school.”
J.B. Hunt selected 2,000 classrooms for its Adopt-a-Classroom program this year, said Matthew Malgieri, an account manager for the company.
J.B. Hunt ranks No. 4 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America.
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