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We donate our charitable donations through the United Way, and make a fairly significant annual contribution which IMO allows me to say "no" to many of the "one off" asks I get at work and at the door.
My 14 year old daughter and I were out shopping and there was a homeless man with a hat in front of him. My daughter asked if we could give him money, and I said no. My daughter asked if she could use her money to buy him food (he was right beside a Little Caesars pizza place). I answered "giving handouts on the street encourages begging, we support programs to help people get off the street for good".
My daughter said "I get that mom, but he looks hungry now". She used her babysitting money and bought a pizza and went and asked him if he would like it. I was very embarrassed by the gratitude in his eyes, because I was going to keep driving.
What do other people do when they see people begging?
In general, I don't give to beggars on the street, because I don't really know if they're hungry for food or for their next drug fix. But there are a few exceptions. One time, on a very hot day, I saw a lady begging at a street corner, fully exposed to the merciless sun. I went to a convenience store, bought a bottle of water, and gave it to her. Another time, I happened to be carrying a sandwich that I didn't want, so when a beggar told me that he was hungry, I gave it to him. Right then and there he thanked me and then hungrily dug into it.
I do applaud OP's daughter for her sensitivity to the man she saw: "But he looks hungry now." A caring heart is a good trait to have, provided that it can be tempered with just enough cynicism to prevent her from being taken advantage of.
I will never forget one time over 25 years ago, when I took my father to New York City (for only the second time in his entire life). At one point, he asked me to walk over a few steps to read what was on a nearby sign; and while I did so, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that he had slipped a homeless man a $5 bill. Obviously my dad didn't want any credit or recognition, but simply wanted to do a good deed for someone in need and let the man's gratitude be his only reward. So I pretended that I didn't see anything, and never let on that I knew. That was the kind of man my father was, and I always admired him for it.
we just discussed this in another thread several months ago and again I have no problem giving money to those I feel are in a genuine need .. it makes me feel good ....
I give when I see them with pets. I'm sure there are way more homeless animals than people, and sometimes they will pair up and become a little pack (especially homeless women, for protection, etc)
I buy dry dog food from walmart and portion it out into gallon ziploc bags, insert a couple of chew bones and 2 bottles of water. most times i put $1 in also so the person doesn't get mad at the animal receiving something and take it out on them. (not saying they would, but just in case)
We donate our charitable donations through the United Way, and make a fairly significant annual contribution which IMO allows me to say "no" to many of the "one off" asks I get at work and at the door.
My 14 year old daughter and I were out shopping and there was a homeless man with a hat in front of him. My daughter asked if we could give him money, and I said no. My daughter asked if she could use her money to buy him food (he was right beside a Little Caesars pizza place). I answered "giving handouts on the street encourages begging, we support programs to help people get off the street for good".
My daughter said "I get that mom, but he looks hungry now". She used her babysitting money and bought a pizza and went and asked him if he would like it. I was very embarrassed by the gratitude in his eyes, because I was going to keep driving.
What do other people do when they see people begging?
It's good to read that you care enough to donate to United Way. Unfortunately, charities can be over-come by the need that's out there, and even the best of them lack the funds to help everyone. Many homeless individuals end up just falling through the cracks. I used to live in a major Colorado city and the homeless problem was just awful. Some homeless refused to stay in the localRed Cross shelter because it had a bad rep for knifings, theft and rapes. I wouldn't advocate anyone else doing this since it could be dangerous, but on really cold nights, I used to make as many peanut butter sanswiches as I could and fill up the back up my car with warm blankets that I got for maybe a quarter at the local thrift shops. The gratitude of these people was over-whelming. But I wasn't in it for the gratitude. More often than not, I just put a old but warm blanket over someone's sleeping form and hid their sandwich among the folds of the blanket, so they could awake to find breakfast, as well as a warm cover.
I won't give money to people who are under the influence, but other than that, I'll help when I can, since I realize that many homeless are the severely mentally ill, veterans with PTSD or some other combat related problem, etc., etc. I visited north-east Brazil when I was only 18 and the suffering of the people there reduced me to tears. I saw mothers and their children trying to sift something to eat out of the gutters. I'd walk downtown with my boyfriend and watch in horror as girls as young as ten tried to sell themselves to him. I saw the dead lying on the sidewalks for a day or longer before someone would drag them off. I used to ask middle and upper class Brazilians if all this suffering ever concerned them. Almost always, my question was met with a shrug of the shoulders and a change of subject. I don't know - maybe that was the only way they could respond. One could go out on the streets and throw handfuls of cruzero's to children who were dressed in tatters, but it was never enough, and the strong would just take from the weak.
I vowed then that this would never happen in MY country, but these days it appears that our major cities are taking the first steps that lead down that awful road. I very much hope that my perceptions in this regard are wrong. But I still stuff my pockets with sandwiches when I visit larger cities like Denver or Colorado Springs.
I do if I have a couple of extra dollars with me. People have helped me so I will help out others if it is convenient. If I can't I can't that is just how it works out. I don't worry if they may use the money for drugs etc. That is on them not me. I helped a person and if they truly need some food they will eventually use it in a caring manner and they may someday remember to pay it forward if they don't use it today.
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