Tom Schwein and his fellow riders with Samaritan Cycling USA are crossing the country by bicycle to raise awareness and money for the homeless. Their 45-day Ride Across America, ending November 16, supports Samaritan House, part of Catholic Charities of Denver. Some of their most memorable encounters have come from people who had very little to give.

The idea began during a training ride in 2011, when Schwein and a friend discussed riding for a cause. “I blurted out that it should be for Samaritan House,” he recalled. Opened in 1986, the shelter welcomes people regardless of religious affiliation and helps them rebuild their lives.

The team includes Catholics and riders of other backgrounds. Days begin with prayer or reflection, often led by Deacon Dan Cook. Shelter visits offer opportunities to serve meals or repair bicycles. Deacon Dan contacts pastors ahead of the group to arrange church stops along the route. The schedule makes daily Mass difficult, but Catholic riders make time for Sunday Mass. Schwein acknowledges that “some are more into the mission than others, but at the end of the day, we are all out here doing God’s work. And I think everyone recognizes that.”

After Mass on October 25, a woman named Marcy approached Schwein. “God bless you for what you are doing. You are doing God’s work,” she said, handing him a $20 bill. She had come from Corpus Christi and felt compelled to attend church that day. Deacon Dan’s homily had moved her to contribute. Then she told Schwein she was homeless and had slept in her car the night before.

“It was the most moving $20 I’ve ever received,” he said. His instinct was to offer her $50, but he hesitated, reluctant to interfere with what he believed God had prompted her to do. Marcy had come forward as someone who wanted to help. Her own need had not extinguished her concern for other people facing the same hardship.

In Marfa, Texas, another woman gave Deacon Dan $100. He had the impression that she had little to spare, although he could not know her circumstances. Her gift recalled the Gospel’s poor widow, who placed two small coins in the temple treasury. Others gave from their abundance; she gave from what she needed to live on.

Another woman along the route hurried ahead of the cyclists to unlock a small library so they could use the restroom and wash up. She saw a need and opened a door. On a long journey far from home, such gestures matter.

For Deacon Dan, serving the homeless is personal. His father was homeless as a child before a Catholic orphanage in Baltimore took him in. “So, I definitely have a heart for the homeless,” he explained.

The cyclists also have a longtime friend in Cardinal James Francis Stafford, whose connection to Samaritan House reaches back to its early years. Schwein says the cardinal has supported the cycling team since around 2016. During the ride, they speak weekly for a blessing, and he prays for them each day. Scripture is a familiar part of their conversations.

Schwein offers the effort of each day to God. “We offer up each day, and any amount of suffering we do in the saddle is nothing compared to what the homeless go through,” he said. “That motivates us to keep going every morning.” At his spiritual director’s encouragement, Schwein adopted a line for his email signature, borrowing from St. Catherine of Siena: “If you are doing what you are meant to be doing, you will set the world on fire.” On mornings when he needs the reminder, he tells himself, “God, you called me to do this. Let’s go set the world on fire!”

The team set out to raise money and awareness. Along the way, its members have discovered how much others are willing to offer. A bicycle, a twenty-dollar bill, a key to a library: each becomes useful when someone is willing to give what he or she has. What has God placed in our hands, and whom might it help?