Joseph Jenkins, most affectionately known as JJ, has an infectiously positive spirit, even at 6 am as the warehouse begins to bustle with operations staffers preparing for the day. JJ is one of the Capital Area Food Bank’s dedicated truck drivers, responsible for ensuring that food moves from our Northeast DC warehouse to more than 400 partners across the region.
Each morning, our drivers are assigned carefully calculated routes, making every day a little different. During the busy season, the loads of food they’re delivering increase. This busy season has been even busier amid the increased demand in our region, with food moving through the warehouse and out to neighbors 38 percent faster than this time last year.
When JJ arrives, he checks in with the team and picks up his list of stops for the day. The day before, warehouse staff prepare the food that needs to go out to each location, placing those items in designated sections of the warehouse. JJ moves through those sections to gather what each site will receive. Every stop has a different mix of items: some might need shelf-stable items like canned goods, pasta, or cereal. Others include refrigerated items, which can range from fresh produce to dairy or proteins.
Once JJ has everything for a stop, he brings the pallets of food to his loading area, where a teammate double-checks that the order is correct. He stacks his inventory inside the truck, making sure nothing will shift in transit. On this day, he had five orders: three for delivery in the morning and two more that he returned to pick up for delivering in the afternoon.
As JJ drives, he’s passing places from his childhood, including his middle and high schools. He has lived in the DMV his entire life and cannot imagine himself anywhere else. His stops throughout Prince George’s County, Md., and Southeast DC reflect the range of CAFB’s work, from church pantry partners to schools hosting markets for families to community housing apartments where neighbors gather for food distribution.
“What keeps me motivated to come back each day is helping the community, helping the people, making sure people have food and seeing a smile on their face.” -JJ
Working at CAFB is a family affair for JJ. His younger brother Todd is a driver based out of our Lorton facility, and the two talk most days, comparing routes or simply keeping each other company on the road.
JJ has been a truck driver for his whole career and has been driving for CAFB since 2020. He says this role stands out because he can see his impact directly. His favorite part is connecting with partners, something that shows at every stop. At Walker Mill Baptist Church pantry, staff greeted him warmly, saying how much they love when JJ delivers. At Brighter Day Ministries, the connection was personal. The stop sits beside a building where he lived as a child, and several volunteers recognized him from the neighborhood.
Drivers like JJ navigate tight situations in the middle of an urban city. Parking and unloading can be a challenge in narrow streets and crowded lots, but they always get it done. Every delivery has a two-hour window, and JJ arrived early at each of his stops, finishing ahead of schedule without ever rushing his time with partners.
Spending a day with JJ shows the rhythm, care, and community ties that keep CAFB’s operations moving. Our drivers move food across the region, but they also move through neighborhoods they know well, building the relationships that strengthen this work every day.