Don Crost, who says he’s slightly older than his 1953 Chevy truck, is set to take a very “American” road trip in the rumbling antique to help people around the world who have lost everything.
Crost will embark on October 14 from Evanston, Illinois, along legendary Route 66 to California, to raise awareness and money for ShelterBox USA. This relief agency delivers vital supplies in the aftermath of conflicts, floods, hurricanes, and other disasters.
“If I help one family, that’s enough,” says Crost. “The fact that we can help so many people through this effort is a privilege. Route 66 is the `Mother Road.’ I like the connection between the vintage truck and the vintage highway.”
He’s going to drive Route 66 for about 2,500 miles, with a goal of raising $25,000 in 2025, on the 25th anniversary of ShelterBox, founded in England. That number 25 will seemingly rattle around Crost’s truck like some sort of good luck omen.
“It’s jaunty, noisy, I don’t have a radio,” Crost explains. “I just listen to the engine in case there’s a problem. It was a farm vehicle, built way before any impact standards. It’s been updated. I’m not driving with an original engine and transmission. The windshield wipers don’t work.”
Don says his truck has been redone with a circa-1979 350 short block, V8 engine from an old Corvette, a 4-barrel Street Avenger carburetor, dual exhaust, automatic transmission, disc brakes, and iffy air conditioning, which he calls his “climate crisis.”
Crost is a member of the Rotary Club of Evanston Lighthouse and will stop at various Rotary clubs along the way to talk about ShelterBox.
“ShelterBox response teams are prepared to deploy even in countries facing prolonged, seemingly hopeless, and deeply entrenched conflicts,” Crost explains. “But ShelterBox seems undaunted; it’s a vetted charity creating sustainable solutions.
“ShelterBox does all these things I don’t have to think about, like how to make aid accessible to disaster victims, because ShelterBox is figuring it out.”
He’s offering anyone who’d like to donate to his cause a ride in his truck, no matter where they are on his route. The itinerary will lead him through stops in St Louis, Amarillo, Albuquerque, and Flagstaff. But he will also make diversions off Route 66, including one through Kansas City, down to Tulsa. Another side trek will lead him to Santa Barbara, where ShelterBox USA is headquartered.
“I find ShelterBox is always evolving, not rigid structurally,” Crost said. “The adaptability factor makes ShelterBox different. Getting people into a shelter immediately and getting families and lives back together, it’s so basic, and it just made sense to me. I’m a simple man.”
Crost went on a similar journey for ShelterBox in 2023, trekking from Naples, Florida, to Evanston, Illinois, along historic Route 41. He likes the limelight, having once done improvisation for Chicago’s famed Second City acting troupe, and serves as a charity auctioneer. But now he wants ShelterBox to take center stage.
Crost says his sister and some friends asked them why they had never heard of ShelterBox. “That’s the whole reason I’m going on this Route 66 journey, so ShelterBox becomes more known.”
