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One box, two cyclists, three wheels, 10,000 miles - that's the recipe for an English couple pedaling their way across America and several other countries to raise money and awareness for a charitable organization.

ShelterBox is a disaster relief agency that was started in 1999. Since then, it has provided relief supplies to about 220,000 people in 70 countries.

Huw Thomas and his wife Carolyn started their 10,000-mile tandem bike ride in Vancouver about a month ago, and stopped in Great Falls on Tuesday where they told members of the Rotary Club the story of shelter in a box.

Huw explained, "The key ingredient normally is a ten-person tent and then lots of ancillary equipment, blankets, kitchen pots, stove, towels, etcetera. So the idea is each box is a unit for a family, extended family up to ten people."

The organization estimates it has delivered almost 94,000 of the boxes to areas hit by disaster.

Carolyn noted, "I was watching a video of a little girl in Java who was explaining how much ShelterBox meant to her family after their home was destroyed and I really wanted to do something on a voluntary basis for ShelterBox."

The couple will make their way to Helena later this week where they will speak to a Boy Scout troop. Then it's on to visit Yellowstone before hopefully making it to Florida just before Christmas.

They hope to conclude the 10,000-mile journey next July in Cornwall, England, the site of ShelterBox's world headquarters. Between now and then, legs of the trip will take them to New Zealand, Australia, and Europe.

Click here to learn more and follow their progress on their blog.

Click here to learn more about what's inside a ShelterBox.

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