YUMA, Ariz.-
One man is cycling across the United States to raise money to help homeless veterans.
Rick Hart started his journey in September and is traveling 4,000 miles from Rhode Island to San Diego all in effort to raise $25,000 to build homes for 10 homeless veterans. Hart says he has always cared for the homeless and when he heard there are veterans who do not have homes he decided to take action. “That’s when I decided to ride for a non-profit organization to raise the money to help,” said Hart.
It has been seven months since Hart bought a bicycle of Craigslist and left his home in Rhode Island, “I get to see the country at 10 miles per hour,” said Hart. He says he does not sleep in hotels unless someone buys him a room and does not ask to stay at anyone’s house unless the owner offers, “otherwise I sleep in the streets.”
The trip has not been easy on Hart. In Florida, Hart said someone offered him a plane ticket to go home and stop his ride. Hart turned it down and kept going, “once things start getting rough overseas our veterans can’t just put down their guns go home and call it quits,” said Hart. “It’s my way to give back and you have to stick with it.”
Hart made it to Yuma on Wednesday and will continue his journey 179 miles west to San Diego. So far he has raised a little more than $6,000.
Hart hopes this journey will inspire others to pay it forward and help those who need it.
To donate visit http://www.roadwarriorcyclist.com/about.html and to follow Rick on his journey visit his Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RoadWarriorCyclist/timeline