Trish Karter, 52, jumped on her bike in late April and began a 15-day journey from Atlanta to Boston in order to raise awareness for the plight of the homeless. The chief executive officer of a baking company, Karter spends each evening at a shelter where she decorates gingerbread houses with the families and shares their stories on her blog: dancingdeer.com/ride. She spent an evening last week at Southeast’s Naylor Road shelter.
How do you get the word out about homelessness if you’re riding 100 miles each day?
I have an audio setup that motorcyclists use. My hands are on my bike and there’s a speaker in front of me that cancels out the wind noise. The other day I did a live radio interview while riding!
What exactly are you raising awareness for?
I’m raising awareness of what family homelessness really looks like, and what solutions are available, and I’m raising money for a scholarship fund to help homeless mothers finish their education and move on to stable lives as a pathway out of poverty. We have a bakery gift line called Sweet Home from which 35 percent of the retail price is donated to the scholarship fund.
Why homelessness?
Sitting at a kitchen table with a glass of milk is the iconic image of the comfort of home. Food and home are tied together, so it seemed an appropriate issue for us to focus on.
You arrive at a new shelter each evening. Do you sleep there?
When there’s room, but there’s often no room left.
How do your legs feel today?
Every fiber of my being felt like I was done when I woke up this morning. It’s exhausting — physically and emotionally. We had an amazing night at Naylor Shelter; the people there were so wonderful. I left my heart at Naylor Road, and I laid awake till 4 a.m. thinking about all the people I spoke with.
