Scared of the crate...

If I were you I would feed at set times and feed the meals via a Kong shut inside the crate, but that's just me.

Is the crate as super-comfy as possible?  Have you included an old shirt with your scent on?  Have you tried some DAP?  Is he more toy-motivated than food motivated?  What's his favourite toy?  Have you tried playing games of fetch in and out of the crate to get him more relaxed about going in?  Do you know anything of his history?  Could anything have happened in the past to make him hate it?  Maybe a previous owner used it as a punishment or left him in there for extended periods of time and he has negative connotations with it?  Have you tried using a clicker to overcome this? 
 
ETA link that you may find helpful for using the clicker:
[linkhttp://youtube.com/watch?v=HCtrtbdXkVw]http://youtube.com/watch?v=HCtrtbdXkVw[/link]

Being with you (and staying out of the crate) is a bigger reward for him than a treat. So, get in there with your dog when he is tired and happy to sleep. If you can't fit in, just a bit of you - like your leg - will do. Don't shut the crate door. (Den is a natural place for a dog to doze in, a den with a door is not.) He needs to be tired though - that's half a battle. You can give him his favorite chew or an ice cube. Act calm, read a book with him (or next to him), and don't even think about shutting the crate door just yet. His crate will be associated with "good times dozing with my Big Dog" rather than isolation and fear.
After a few goes, when he falls sleep, you can slowly start moving away... start sitting not right next to him, but on the couch, etc. You get the idea. This might take some time. But yes, my dog ignores treats too - a lot of times they are just not as rewarding. And that's OK. []

I have tried toys and food--he seems more food motivated, but neither methods work. I'd like to feed him in there, but first he has to go in! The best I've done so far is getting his head in. I've tried tossing in a toy/treat, but as soon as I try that, the game is over.
 
I've taken the top off, and I managed to get him to sit in it (once), but he wouldn't lie down. I tried sitting in it myself, but that doesn't seem to make it any more inviting.
 
He is a rescue, so I don't know much of his past--however he did just come to us from the vet, where he was neutered and kenneled. He licked at his stitches in the kennel so they let him loose, from what I was told.
 
We plan on taking things slow (giving him a chew of some sort to eat in there with the door open, while we stay in the room, and eventually building up the time he spends in there so we can leave without worrying), but we can't even begin that stage because he won't physically enter the crate. He has been getting lots of exercise, playing with our other dog and going for walks, but he is still resistant.
 
Oh, and what is DAP? [&:]
 

Trooper, is that a wire crate or a solid plastic one?

DAP = dog appeasing pheromone

If you have no other pets, place his food bowl next to the crate and let him eat there for a few days.  Make sure that, in addition to the food, you have placed a few pieces of really stinky good stuff (like roast beef, chicken, liverwurst) inside the crate.  Let him go in if he wants, to get them, but don't try to make him lie down or shut the door. 
After a few days of that, put the food bowl just inside the crate so that he has to poke his head in to eat.  If he doesn't eat, remove the food until next feeding time.  If he eats, next time move the food a bit further in.  You get the picture.  Once he is comfy eating in the crate, you can shut the door for a second, then open it again.  Gradually increase the time you can leave the door closed.  Next, you can try shutting the door while he's eating, but disappear from view for a moment, then come right back.  Gradually increase the time he is inside with you out of sight.  Build up slowly.
Also, grab a copy of Patricia McConnell's books:
"I'll Be Home Soon" and "The Cautious Canine"
Both of those will help you help him.  Good luck!

It is a solid plastic crate. I have it lined with a comforter, so it is nice and squishy to lay on--apparently he doesn't think so! [8D]
 
I am wondering if it will be possible to cure the anxiety without crating. He is has been sleeping all afternoon (he had lots of exercise this morning!), so I tried leaving the room and shutting the door to see if he would cry (as I was told he would). I was only gone for about two minutes, but he didn't even lift his head. Maybe the exercise will keep him from worrying? Or is this just wishful thinking? [:'(]

Thanks, spiritdogs! We do have another dog who would be happy to clean up his food if we leave it unattended by the crate, so that likely wouldn't work. However, something 'stinky' might do the trick--we haven't tried that!
 
I'll look into those books right away, thanks a bunch! 

Feed the other dog in a seperate room.
 
IMO dogs should be fed seperately anyway in multidog households.  Just in case.

They are fed in separate rooms, but he doesn't eat it all at once--normally we hand feed a couple of pieces to get him interested again, and then he will finish it. Would feeding him like this beside the crate have the same effect?
 
Also, I got him in! He's sleeping in it with the door open right now. I think we'll have to get him a bigger one soon--he is growing very quickly so this one won't last much longer.

Just thought I'd update... especially since there's such good news! Apparently he doesn't have separation anxiety!
 
We have been gradually increasing the time he is left alone (he has stayed alone for 4 hours now), and we haven't had a single problem. Nothing has been chewed, and no accidents! I'm not sure what caused this change, because we were told he gets very upset when left alone... but I won't complain! I'm guessing he must feel more comfortable now that he has settled a bit, and he must enjoy the company of our other dog.
 
[]

We got a 3 year rescued dog from the shelter.  They told us he can never be crated becasue when they tried to take him to a dogshow he freaked.    Worried about housebreaking and chewing, I confined him to the kitchen with chairs  but he always escaped  and ran into my walkin closet.  Turns out, from day 1 he has done nothing wrong.  I think the presence of our other dog comforted him.  He has has the run of the house from say Day 3 and its been 2 years now.  My closet is his safe place and he sleeps in there when we go to work.  Once, he wnet into HOllys crate on his own and laid down.  I think your other dog is helping him and thats great!   

As far as a DAP = dog appeasing pheromone . Is this a spray or what? Where do you get it?
My daughter is having a really hard time with her dog when she leaves. If she leaves the dog out in a room, she will chew up and destroy everything she can get. The dog absolutely hates the crate and will destroy anything in it or anything she can manage to pull into it, and she usually pees in the crate, too.
She got the dog at a rescue kennel. The dog was only about 3 months, and was in a cage with another dog from the litter. She is such a sweet dog until she is left. The dog usually sleeps with my daughter. She doesn't like putting her in the kennel since she pretty much spent the first 3 months of her life in one.
We could really use some suggestions! My daughter just bought her first house, and doesn't need it destroyed! Would that DAP help?

As far as a DAP = dog appeasing pheromone . Is this a spray or what? Where do you get it?

 
I have only seen it as a diffuser that you plug into your wall.
 
[linkhttp://www.healthypets.com/dapdogappher.html]http://www.healthypets.com/dapdogappher.html[/link]
 
I have gotten mine at more "specialty" dog stores and my vets sells it too...

Thanks, jjsmom, I'll take a look!