Guys in orange t-shirts asking for donations (Norfolk, Windsor: home, neighborhoods)

[zoot]

Who are these guys in orange t-shirts who hang out at the intersection of Little Creek Rd & Granby St? They ask for donations using gumboots/rubber boots. They're even at Northampton & Military Hwy.

Just curious.

thanks
zt

[BikesareBetter]

Homeless Probably. I wouldn't give them any of my hard earned money. Since when did they appear or start?

[zoot]

Originally Posted by BikesareBetter

Homeless Probably. I wouldn't give them any of my hard earned money. Since when did they appear or start?

No they aren't homeless for sure. They appear off and on. Been there for about a year or so.....

[Shoobie]

...they are firemen...

[gallowsCalibrator]

Originally Posted by Shoobie

...they are firemen...

Yup. And some of them might be asking for donations in a boot. A lot of firefighting teams are all volunteer, so they have to raise money to keep ahead of the game.

[Erma]

Originally Posted by Kuharai

Yup. And some of them might be asking for donations in a boot. A lot of firefighting teams are all volunteer, so they have to raise money to keep ahead of the game.

They indeed are firefighters. Our local fire dept. in Windsor Woods has a voluntary EMT group as well. Help em' out and give em' a buck. You can claim it on your taxes as out of pocket if it's really important to you. I've been asked a couple times to volunteer, but I can't due to my travel and committments at home and on call status'.
Beware of people with white paint buckets raising money for the churches. They may wear road guard vests, but not all of them are genuine. While in Boulder, CO, there were people standing in the middle of the road asking for donations for their kids surgeries. While talking to a store clerk, I was told they were pan handlers and he has to kick them out of his store because they open bread bags and p-nut butter jars and make sandwiches, using their hands in the jars to scoop it out.

[autumnspell]

Originally Posted by BikesareBetter

Homeless Probably. I wouldn't give them any of my hard earned money. Since when did they appear or start?

They are firefighters trying to raise money for muscular dystrophy. They have signs posted at each intersection they are stationed at (and it's several), but to be honest, they are not clearly visible.

[BikesareBetter]

My fault. Just guessed since it was in Norfolk and at those particular locations. Made sense in my mind. Well now we know the rest of the story..

[mermaid_golfer]

We have the firefighters that come to the door for donations and they are legit.
Be careful though, because just yesterday I had an orange shirted young teenager come to the door and something seemed "Off". He could not answer questions without being nervous, and when I continued to ask him who his local fire chief was he just walked away.

We also get kids that are dropped off on street corners to swarm neighborhoods. They carry a plastic bin of junk stuff and ask for donations for the "Boys Club". They have no proof of connection to any legit boys club and I was shocked when one kid came back to my door well after dark to ask if he could use my phone because the person who was supposed to pick him up to give him a ride back to his neighborhood never showed! I told him I would dial the number for him and he hesitated. Then a car showed up honked their horn and the kid left my porch without a word and got in the car. What legit boys club would leave young kids in a strange neighborhood after dark?!
Ask questions and if you aren't comfy with donating cash ask for a mailing address where you can send a donation.

I moved here about two years ago and am amazed at how many people pan handle in the middle of traffic or late at night. It was never allowed where I lived for the past 28 years, and non profit organizations had great success because they raised money through a concerted effort (car washes, grocery help day at stores, etc)

[Erma]

Originally Posted by mermaid_golfer

We have the firefighters that come to the door for donations and they are legit.
Be careful though, because just yesterday I had an orange shirted young teenager come to the door and something seemed "Off". He could not answer questions without being nervous, and when I continued to ask him who his local fire chief was he just walked away.

We also get kids that are dropped off on street corners to swarm neighborhoods. They carry a plastic bin of junk stuff and ask for donations for the "Boys Club". They have no proof of connection to any legit boys club and I was shocked when one kid came back to my door well after dark to ask if he could use my phone because the person who was supposed to pick him up to give him a ride back to his neighborhood never showed! I told him I would dial the number for him and he hesitated. Then a car showed up honked their horn and the kid left my porch without a word and got in the car. What legit boys club would leave young kids in a strange neighborhood after dark?!
Ask questions and if you aren't comfy with donating cash ask for a mailing address where you can send a donation.

I moved here about two years ago and am amazed at how many people pan handle in the middle of traffic or late at night. It was never allowed where I lived for the past 28 years, and non profit organizations had great success because they raised money through a concerted effort (car washes, grocery help day at stores, etc)

It's everywhere! The economy has pushed people to the brink of beggin' for money. It happens on message boards too!