The Merritt News is proud to present Brian Hopkins and his delivery team of three with the Merritt News Carrier of the Month honour.

Hopkins, a father of three, has been doing downed routes for the Merritt News for the past three years and has employed carriers to help him deliver some of the News' 5,094 papers to Merritt residents every week.

“I like doing something, and working with these guys is good,” says Hopkins. “There's always a laugh.”

Hopkins loads up his maroon van with stacks of newspapers every Thursday and picks up his crew of three, and they deliver the papers around town.

“It's not me, it's the crew that makes me,” admits Hopkins.

Currently, Hopkins team includes Jarrett Lane, George Nielsen, and Kristina Johnson.

“I just get around town,” says Lane, a father of two and avid bicycle builder.

The three say they enjoy getting out around town and getting exercise.

“The exercise, it's either that or nothing,” says Johnson, who enjoys dirt biking in her spare time.

Nielsen says it also gives him some spare money, money which he says will help him to save up for his expected child.

When Nielsen isn't delivering papers, you might find him practicing martial arts.

In addition to the Thursday edition of the Merritt News, the Hopkins crew can also be found in places like Princeton and Logan Lake in the spring, when the Merritt News tourist guides are published and distributed around the province.

While paper delivery is quite a common job, Hopkins says his crew has experienced an unusual thing or two from time to time.

“I had a fellow delivering last fall. I said, ‘you just walked by a bear,'” says Hopkins with a surprised look on his face.
“He was five feet from him but it was dark, so he couldn't see.”

Another time, Lane encountered a startled homeowner who chased him with a stick in hand and dogs at his side.

“It may look a little leery when a van pulls up and four guys jump out, but we're just delivering papers,” says Hopkins with a smile.