Don Crost is on a mission.
At the time of KCLU's interview, he was driving through the Arizona desert on historic Route 66, on a one-of-a-kind cross-country trip to Santa Barbara.
He's at the wheel of his 71-year-old Chevy truck, trekking from the Midwest to California to raise money and awareness for ShelterBox. The Santa Barbara-based nonprofit assists with disaster relief around the world.
"I started out in my hometown of Evanston, Illinois, not far from the beginning of Route 66," said Crost. "I'm driving all the way down Route 66 to Santa Monica...trying to raise awareness for ShelterBox. This is ShelterBox's 25th anniversary. It's 2025, I'm driving 2,500 miles, and my goal is to raise $25,000 to help with all the work ShelterBox does."
Crost talked about why he believes ShelterBox is important. It helps people who've been affected by disasters and conflicts with tents, solar lights, and other essential items.
"After disasters or conflict, and people are unable to find shelter, we bring it to them. We're in more than 100 countries around the world. And we've worked here in the States, doing the California wildfires. We did the hurricanes in the Carolinas last year. We've helped over three million people."
But spending two weeks driving across the country is a major commitment to help a nonprofit.
According to Crost, the trip is going well, but there's been a bit of drama.
"At one point, I lost the cap from my old '53 Chevy pickup that I'm driving," he explained. "I had a makeshift (cap) that I made out of a water bottle and a zip tie. A door handle fell off during a windstorm. And then, one of the nuts rattled off the carburetor and air filter, and I had to make a new one out of a bottle cap from a bottle of San Pellegrino."
Crost said he’s received some amazing reactions on the road. He was an antique dealer and still works as a charity auctioneer, so he loves interacting with people.
"My family and friends think I'm nuts, but they understand the cause. My friends have been extremely supportive. They've made donations and sponsored my gas. They've been really kind about it. Considering that the truck and myself are about the same age, if anything breaks on either one, we're in trouble."
Crost said he’s hoping to arrive in Santa Barbara on Wednesday and will officially end his odyssey in Santa Monica on Friday.
