[magellan]

Originally Posted by wanderer74

Where might those charities be that are giving out free diapers to people who need them? I work closely with the community center in the housing projects in Saginaw and we have a lot of people coming in looking for such assistance. So far there is no place that I have found to direct them to such resources. The local food pantry has near record-low amounts of food on their shelves, and they don't generally supply many non-food items (not just diapers but also shampoo, dish soap, toilet paper etc). Churches sometimes have clothes and shoes - once in a while a baby crib - but not diapers. Once in a while Underground Railroad has a small supply of toiletries and even diapers, but those are for abused women trying to escape, not for the random guy whose unemployment ran out before he could find another job. I understand being cynical, and maybe your community has a lot more resources than mine. But I have heard so many people say over the years that they don't want to help because "there are charities that do that" and I think a lot of people REALLY overestimate what the charities can do. If there is a charity that you know of that provides things like diapers I'd love to know so I can tell the people who need that help - the charities where I live are struggling as much as the population overall. Food pantries in particular have very low supplies right now because of the double whammy of more people seeking the assistance and fewer people having the money to donate to them.

I believe Alpha Women's Center in Grand Rapids is one. And the Diocese of Grand Rapids asks for diapers and toiletries as donations for a lot of events. There are a ton of missions and social service agencies in Grand Rapids. In fact, GR has a huge homeless population because of all the missions here (people come from all over). Granted, many of them are faith-based, but I don't think you have to belong to sign up to receive needed items.

The food banks here are complaining too of running low on items.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by Driller1

No. Obama will take care of us.....

See.......Kinda of a love-hate thing , isn't it ?

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by magellan

I'm all about helping out people in need. In fact, I drive my wife crazy because when we have more money come in than expected, I'm looking for ways to give it away.

But I just don't see giving people money on a street corner. My instinct tells me they are there for a reason (local homeless missions/food pantries kicked them out maybe). Plus, how is my $5 or $20 going to change anything? He'll be back at that same corner tomorrow, guaranteed.

But one reason he'll be there is that the homeless shelters are full -- stuffed, in fact -- and the food pantries are supposed to limit you to 1 visit, lifetime. They're all set up for people having a very temporary emergency, just need a few bags of groceries to get them through until mom or dad lands a job next week, and this decline has been going on for YEARS.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by Driller1

I agree. Poor is not complaining on the net.

I live in an economically depressed area and lottery ticket sales are up higher than ever. You'd have to look very hard to find a teen or pre-teen without a cell phone, even the welfare mothers sitting in the free clinics or doctors office with another baby on the way are chatting away on cell phones.

Last time I volunteered at the homeless shelter here, I saw a number of homeless talking on their cell phones. They either have an address for their bills or they have one of those prepaid services but I don't think many people really know how things were in the Great Depression when people did with much less.

[Cliffie]

It's true that the Great Depression was much worse than this, but it's also true that cellphones can cost a lot less than landlines, and in any case more than a few of those phones are stolen.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by malamute

I live in an economically depressed area and lottery ticket sales are up higher than ever. You'd have to look very hard to find a teen or pre-teen without a cell phone, even the welfare mothers sitting in the free clinics or doctors office with another baby on the way are chatting away on cell phones.

Last time I volunteered at the homeless shelter here, I saw a number of homeless talking on their cell phones. They either have an address for their bills or they have one of those prepaid services but I don't think many people really know how things were in the Great Depression when people did with much less.

People can always find money for cigarettes too.

[Cliffie]

Yeah, but a security deposit and the first month's rent is a LOT of packs of cigarettes.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

Yeah, but a security deposit and the first month's rent is a LOT of packs of cigarettes.

Good place to start.

[Crustedfilth]

Originally Posted by Driller1

People can always find money for cigarettes too.

and beer

[wanderer74]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

Yeah, but a security deposit and the first month's rent is a LOT of packs of cigarettes.

Not to mention that most people I know who grew up really poor have never seen any example of how to save money for something, and it's not taught in schools. As for cell phones, they didn't exist in the Great Depression. It has become a service that, like it or not, is viewed as a necessity for most people. Even when I have faced my own times of being really tight on money, I've canceled the cable, but never the cell phones. Now that I am used to having one, particularly since I have an older car and never know when it might leave me stranded, the idea of not having a cell phone is almost terrifying. I don't use it to talk to friends (which is how I keep bills low) but it's become something like a security blanket.

I'm not defending how poor people spend their money, or debating that saving more when you're on a low income can make your dollars stretch further. But judging by the current state of the credit card and real estate crises, poor people are certainly NOT the only ones living beyond their means. Living beyond one's means is unfortunately the norm in society - it just has more immediate negative consequences for the poor than for the middle class.