Mercer drivers have a passion for charity

Although Tom and Debbie Berkel spend most of their days hauling freight across the country, they still find time for charity. The married owner-operator team held their second annual charity auction Oct. 18-19 at Mercer’s corporate headquarters in Louisville, Ky.

The auction raised $3,000 split between Special Olympics and the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign. More than 150 Mercer contractors and employees attended the two-day auction, which showcased 182 items ranging from a new Dell computer and Christmas lights to a NASCAR coffeepot.

In 2006, the Berkels’ auction raised nearly $1,000 for the World’s Longest Truck Convoy, a national Special Olympics fund-raiser. The Berkels say their 2008 auction will benefit the St. Joseph Children’s Home of Louisville, as well as the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign.