Rick Buck is one very busy man. In addition to dedicating time every day to selling Street Roots, Rick also holds three part-time jobs and volunteers his time with the Salvation Army and Sisters of the Road. From the time Rick wakes up in the morning to the time he goes to bed at night, he is working hard to support himself.
What keeps Rick going?
“I learn fast, so I get bored really easily. I have to keep myself busy, and I do that by trying to help people.” It was his desire to be of help that first brought Rick to Portland. Six years ago, while living in Seattle, Rick came to Portland after learning about the Sit-Lie ordinance protests occurring in front of City Hall. “I came down to help.” Soon afterward, he joined Street Roots.
Rick says his mission in life is to help others who feel as though they are on the outside of society looking in. In addition to being an advocate for people experiencing homelessness, Rick also hopes to call attention to the unique struggles diabetics face in this city. “I have to work hard to eat healthy and for cheap.” Often, Rick can’t eat at any of the many feeds around Portland because nutritional information simply isn’t available.
Selling Street Roots is how Rick earns the money he needs to eat right and help control the effects of his diabetes. Never one to stay idle, Rick sells Street Roots wherever and whenever he can, packing all of his issues carefully into a small suitcase he carries as he bikes around the city. Because of how much he travels around the area, people know Rick and he knows people all over Portland. Perhaps where he is most popular, however, is at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral where he has been selling Street Roots after every Sunday mass for the past 6 years. He knows the patterns of the masses like clockwork and has come to know many of the parishioners.
“Some of my best customers are still inside,” he tells me when I come to meet him after mass one Sunday. “One of my customers is always asking me, ‘When are you gonna have a profile? When am I gonna read about you?’” Rick credits his calm selling style, the paper’s reputation, and his reliable consistency for his popularity with customers.
Rick does not allow himself time to sit back and be idle. It seems he must always be doing something of substance to be happy. What’s next, I ask him.
“I have everything I need for me, but I’m not done fighting for other people. I’m going to keep doing that,” Rick says. And in keeping with his promise this winter, Rick will take his annual break from selling the paper to be a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. “I’m one of their top ringers,” he tells me.
But then, after spending the holiday season volunteering, Rick will return again to Street Roots and his very busy schedule, which, of course, includes stopping and talking to his many, many loyal customers.
