And He’s Off!

After months of planning, “Tractor Dave” Wolfsen pulled out of Fremont, Mich., bright and early June 1, followed by a small parade of fellow tractor drivers seeing him off.

When The Banner caught up with Tractor Dave the night before, he was just finishing up last-minute packing, his only worry being that he might forget to bring along something important.

Wolfsen will travel solo on his 1937 Co-op tractor, pulling his camper 10,000 miles (16,000 km) this summer around the United States, raising money for the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee’s Disaster Response Services (DRS) and the Foods Resource Bank (FRB).

He said he was looking forward to finally getting underway. “I love meeting people,” he said, “getting the chance to tell the story of DRS and FRB and what they do.”

Wolfsen said that with all the natural disasters happening right now, especially the tornadoes, people catch on easily to what disaster response is about.

Traveling an average of 120 miles (193 km) per day at a leisurely pace of 30 miles (48 km) per hour, Wolfsen plans to be home around mid-August.

With a fund-raising goal of $200,000, Wolfsen has already raised about $7,000 before traveling his first mile.

By the weekend, he’ll have traveled through Indiana, Ohio, and into Pennsylvania. Visit Tractor Ride Across the U.S. to see a map of Tractor Dave’s travels. Check the list under the map to see if there is a Tractor Dave event coming near you.

The Banner will follow Tractor Dave every mile, posting photos and updates on our website every week of Wolfsen’s journey.