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Tractor Dave Talks to America

May 11, 2011

A retired tractor salesman from Michigan whose nickname is “Tractor Dave” is making plans--and repairs--to start a summer-long drive through all 48 States on an antique tractor he is restoring

In preparation Dave Wolfsen also made a recent trip to talk about agricultural issues to farmers in Nicaragua as well as has been featured in newspapers and on news shows, in which he has talked about this summer’s adventure. The story has received coverage ranging from an article on the Huffington Post to a nationally televised interview on Fox & Friends (see video clip courtesy Fox).


Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

Wolfsen told FOX that he will leave his home in lower Michigan on June 1, 2011, to begin a three-month journey across the United States. The goal of the trip, “Tractor Dave Crosses America,” is to raise funds and awareness for two non-profit organizations based in the mid-West that work toward alleviating hunger and respond to disasters around the world: the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (www.crwrc.org) and Foods Resource Bank (www.foodsresourcebank.org).

Wolfsen’s route will take him through each of the lower states. Daily events are being planned at each stop along the way, where Wolfsen to speak about global hunger and disaster response—and how FRB and CRWRC are working to end it. For more information about when Dave will be in your area, see www.TractorRideAcrossUS.org.

Dave Wolfsen, now known as “Tractor Dave,” has had a passion for tractors that goes back to growing up on a dairy farm. “As long as I can remember I always had a love of tractors,” Dave says. “As a kid, I cleaned box stalls all day just to get to drive the tractor while spreading manure on the fields.” For 36 years Wolfsen sold tractors for a living. Now retired, he has time to devote to his other passion: helping people in need.

Wolfsen sees this project as a calling. “Tractor Dave Crosses America” is a way for him to combine the main focuses of his life. “I love old tractors and I’m concerned about people who live in poverty. In this project, I can act on both of my passions.”

CRWRC is a faith-based, international relief and development organization that touches the lives of more than 1.5 million of the world’s poorest people annually in development, justice education, and disaster response. FRB is a non-profit organization that grows solutions to hunger by connecting local communities around the globe through agriculture.

A current schedule of Tractor Dave’s events and stops can be found on his website www.TractorRideAcrossUS.org.

For more information about FRB, visit www.foodsresourcebank.org or contact Kelsey Day at [email protected].

To learn more about CRWRC’s disaster response programs, go to www.crwrc.org.