George W. Bush auctioned a pickup truck for $300,000 in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Saturday.
The former president is donating the money to the Fisher House Foundation, a charity that helps U.S. military families. The buyer's identity was not disclosed.
President Bush bought the truck, a white Ford F-150 King Ranch 4x4 SuperCrew, shortly after he left office in 2009, according to Examiner.com.
He said he and his wife Laura Bush both used the truck on their ranch in Crawford, Texas. "I haven't driven on a street in many, many years, but I have been able to drive this truck on my ranch," Bush said in a statement provided by the Dallas News.
"I want to thank all those who are supporting the Fisher House. In supporting the Fisher House, you're supporting our veterans. And in supporting our veterans, you're helping America." The Fisher House Foundation "donates 'comfort homes,' built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers," says the foundation's website.
"These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful of times - during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury."
Before the auction, Bush autographed the truck's right airbag panel and prepared a video showing him driving the truck around his ranch, according to MSN.com. The truck itself is notable in its own right, and not just because it belonged to a former president. In 2008, the auto industry magazine Motor Trend described the F-150 as "almost certainly the Ford Motor Company's single most important new-model design and development program this decade."