A simple request from Catholic Charities Team Samaritan turned into a community effort to support participants staying at Samaritan House Smith Road.
Team Samaritan brings together cyclists, runners and other community members who use endurance events to raise funds and awareness for Catholic Charities Samaritan House. When the team learned that Samaritan House Smith Road needed a bike rack, they reached out to the community for help.
Within weeks, that request reached Pedal, a bike shop in Littleton, Co, which stepped up to donate a bike rack and provide participants with a secure place to park and lock their bicycles.
“As a woman owned business I’m always looking to support and lift up my fellow humans specifically women and I had an opportunity to donate this bike rack to the women’s shelter to give people a secure place to park their mode of transportation and I was very happy to help,” said Maura Sanders, owner of Pedal.
For Tom Schwein, captain of Team Samaritan USA, the quick response was another example of how members of the community can come together to meet a practical need.
“About four weeks ago we put the word out and it’s really cool when we see these people turn around quickly and it’s great,” Tom said.
The donation comes during a milestone year for Samaritan House, which is celebrating 40 years of serving the Colorado community. Since first opening in 1986, Samaritan House has expanded to five locations, providing shelter and support to neighbors experiencing homelessness.
This October, that mission will travel across the country as 12 Team Samaritan riders take on Ride Across America, a nearly 3,000-mile journey from San Diego, California, to St. Augustine, Florida. Through the ride, the team will raise funds and awareness for Catholic Charities Samaritan House and the work being done to help neighbors move from homelessness toward stability.
From a donated bike rack in Colorado to thousands of miles traveled across the country, Team Samaritan continues to show how cycling can bring people together in support of a shared mission.
To Learn more about Catholic Charities Team Samaritan, visit: teamsamaritan.org.