Book of Dreams: Volunteers put mettle to the pedal to assist Sacramento’s unhoused community

Dressed in reflective blue vests and bicycle helmets, two women at the steps of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on K Street Mall pass out face masks, bananas, granola bars and steaming cups of cheer.

They pour cup after cup of coffee, hot chocolate – or both, in what is known on the street as a “cadillac.” The sugar pours freely, and there’s powdered creamer, too. It’s about 45 degrees on a recent morning, and the line is long.

But what’s really in those warming cups is cheer, a commodity even in shorter supply than the socks, tuna, small toiletries and water that these women also supply to those in Sacramento without homes.

The women, Sister Libby Fernandez and volunteer Kim Stone, are two of the approximately 100 volunteers of Mercy Pedalers, a charitable organization that Fernandez founded five years ago. They can be found all over the region, anywhere the unhoused congregate.

“The great thing about this organization is that it’s decentralized,” said Stone. “You can go out and help as often as you can, which provides a lot of flexibility” for small business owners such as herself. Stone is a lobbyist, so you can most often find her volunteering on the mall midweek during her lunch hour.

“The need is great, but even if you can do just a little, it helps,” she said.

The Mercy Pedalers mostly operate on adult tricycles, because they can haul large amounts of individual waters and other supplies in the large baskets that sit between the two back wheels. But these bikes can be very expensive, and parts are not always readily available.

That’s why the organization is asking Sacramento Bee readers to chip in $20,000 to acquire an additional 20 or so trikes as part of this year’s Book of Dreams program.

The Pedalers currently keep a few trikes available for volunteers to check out.

“We have three at Wellspring (Women’s Center),” Fernandez said. But there are not enough to go around. A few of the volunteers work out of their cars, but they complain that they lack proper visibility to the guests they want to serve.

The bikes and trikes are a temptation for thieves, and despite their vigilance, some volunteers have had theirs stolen, Stone among them.

“I took all the precautions I could,” she said. “My trike was locked, with a sturdy bike lock. It was in a bike cage, and the cage was locked. Still, someone was determined to take it, and did.”

She found a replacement on Craigslist for $150, a super price considering new adult tricycles can run from $360 at Walmart to $3,600 for a motorized model.

Sister Libby’s mission

Sister Libby, with a master’s degree in social work, has been helping the homeless full time for most of the 32 years she has been with the Sisters of Mercy organization. She ran Loaves and Fishes – the Sacramento charity that provides food and shelter for unhoused people – from 2006 to 2017, after starting as a part-time volunteer there in 1985.

Fernandez has fitted out her trike, a sturdy model with wide, deep-treaded wheels, with a custom-made serving stand in the back that fits thermoses for serving coffee and hot chocolate, and locks up for transport. She keeps a rolled blanket under the seat area.

“Is that blanket available?” asks one of the people she’s serving, a man carrying a large backpack with a tattered cloth over it and his shoulders. “It sure is,” says Fernandez, reaching to get it after she pours him coffee. “Here, it’s yours.”

A young woman with half-blond, half-brunette hair, comes back after finishing her cup of cocoa, and drops off two plastic Big Lots cards.

“I think they were loaded with $150, but don’t know how much is left on them. I thought you might be able to use them,” she says. Sister Libby thanks her, and the young woman walks away, warmed by the thought that she, too, could do something for others.

‘Hey, Mercy Pedaler!’

As necessary as the blankets, socks, soap and snacks are, the need for genuine kindness and communication is paramount, Sister Libby said.

“Sometimes as I’m pedaling around town, someone will yell out, ‘Hey, Mercy Pedaler! Over here!’ and they won’t want anything but to talk for a few minutes. Everyone needs the dignity of being noticed.”

About an hour later, after everyone in line has been served, Fernandez and Stone check in with each other on what supplies they have left. They bid each other farewell for the day, and go their separate ways, to recharge and resupply for the mission ahead.

Besides buying additional trikes, the group is seeking contributions to acquire sleeping bags, socks, underwear, wipes, nutrition bars and other items.

Book of dreams

The request: Mercy Pedalers has asked for $20,000 to enable it to buy adult trikes for volunteers to use when delivering food and other necessities to Sacramento’s unhoused community.

How to help: You can make a donation at sacbee.com/bookofdreams

This story was originally published November 28, 2022 at 5:00 AM.