I guess I'm a sucker.

I usually have a stack of singles in the console of my car to provide a few dollars to those who seem to really be in need. I seldom, if ever hand it out anymore as more often than not it appears to me to be a total scam job.

I also keep a box of granola bars there as well. Last time I gave a couple granola bars to a young (strong, seemingly able) guy with a sign asking for food, he threw them at my car as I drove off.

I think I'm very charitable, but I know I'm equally skeptical. I don't know if that makes me a bad person or not.
 
finesse_r said:
The dog is a little unusual, since keeping a pet is pretty expensive in and of itself. Still it is a nice touch if you can't find a kid to pose with you. I just dropped $70 at the vet and spent twice that on food and health care products for my dog last month alone, and often people spend a lot more than I do.

So I think I would cut my expenses before I went out begging for food and money from strangers.
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I've seen many people begging for money, food etc. with a dog next to them. My feeling is if you can keep the dog fed, you don't need anything. If they can't, it's animal abuse. If somebody has a sign that says they're hungry, my thought is to buy them a nice happy meal or something similar. I'm never sure of what they'll spend money on if I give it to them.

If these people are not homeless, why are they not getting welfare, medicaid etc.

As a country, we could better spend tax dollars helping our own homeless, especially vets, than sending money overseas to other countries. I could go on about things like that but will save that for another time.
 
You have a kind yet naive heart. Donate to a genuine charitable organization. A reputable professional organization can actually help people in need and get them off the streets. Giving money to people on the streets perpetuates the problem. Giving cash enables vagrancy, drug and alcohol abuse, property crime, vandalism, and disease. To really help, learn the names and locations of reputable organizations, donate and make referrals. Saintly people like me (ha, ha) even volunteer once in a while. Give a hand up, not a handout.
 
My rule is "give alms when asked" - unless I don't feel like it. I usually don't feel like it if it looks like somebody's job, but if I think a guy just wants to scrape together enough for a drink, I'll help him out. I assume nobody's telling the truth.

The guy who's gonna make a monkey out of me is the one who says says "Mister, I just need fitty cent more for a bottle of Mad Dog", then walks around the corner and gets into a Lexus.
 
Lots of homeless have dogs. Most of the dogs are homeless too. Meaning they were strays. It's actually a beneficial relationship. The person has a companion AND protection. Homeless can't legally have firearms but no one is going to mess with a K9. Meanwhile the dog gets a share of the food from the person and companionship as well. And in a sense the dog has protection, it doesn't have to fight for food in a pack of stray dogs
 
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I've called myself a sucker many times for something similar. The last time was just recently, outside of a Dollar Store. Fellow standing there in the light rain with a backpack, asked me if I could help him collect enough money for a room and a hot shower for the night. It was the side of town that advertises a room for $24.99 or such so I gave him a couple of bucks. On my way out of the store I see him coming out of the mini mart next door opening a pack of smokes. Oh well, I guess if you're a smoker you gotta have smokes too. I would hate to be homeless for sure, but to be homeless with an expensive habit has gotta be even rougher.

I've heard all of the stories, about needing gas to get home, to a pregnant wife in the car, or "my car broke down and I've got a family stranded", to the guy on the corner with the cardboard sign. If they don't appear to be stoned or looking for me to pull out a wallet to grab, I'm usually a sucker for a buck or two. Some panhandlers make me a bit jumpy, so I keep my distance. I keep a small can of gas in the back of my truck, (1.5 gal) so if I get absent minded, or just happen upon someone on the side of the road out of gas, it's there. So far I haven't had to use it for myself, but I have had to re-fill it a few times after giving the gas away. I mumble to myself about being a sucker, but yet I go out and do it again. I guess I just feel fortunate that it's not me having to beg for a handout, and I am thankful for what I do have.

I like the dog touch, it's sure to get to me.
 
Drove out of McDonalds, there sat a young lady by the trash containers, she was obviously wearing all the clothes she had, it was cold and she was leaning back against the warm wall. I asked her if she was OK? She smiled but did not speak much English, I gave her $50.00 and drove over to the sporting goods store for some supplies. Came out and she was sitting in my pickup.

I took her to the homeless shelter and got her set up. Turns out she gave all her money to someone who was going to giver her a ride home to another state, they stopped at a gas station and they left her taking what little she had in the car.

Always felt good about it, was once there myself and know how it feels. Still remember those who helped me and my girl friend who had ran away from home.
 
In CA we have a lot of homeless. Rarely do I give people money because I have seen them turn around and buy drugs right in front of me or come out of the store with beer. I give people food instead. Sometimes they are thankful and want it and other times they don't. I even had one guy tell me he didn't want the sandwich I bought him, he wanted me to buy him a pizza from Round Table!

There are people in need but there are also fakes. There was this elderly lady who used to hang out every weekend in front of our regular grocery store. She was in a wheelchair so one would have sympathy. However, she was always nicely dressed, her hair was always freshly done in a salon (only a look a salon could do), her nails were freshly manicured at a salon, and she had nice jewelry. She would sit there in her chair begging for money and in our nice neighborhood would get it. Once I went there later than I normally did and I saw her getting into a new lexus and drive off!

I have also been accosted in parking lots by aggressive able looking panhandlers who I didn't give money to. I stopped going to one shopping center because of that.

Our church sponsors a very large shelter for individuals, young mothers, and families with various programs for finding jobs, sobriety, etc. It has helped a lot of people get on their feet.
 
This topic is a very simple one for me. I don't have unlimited amount of money and I can't hand it out to everyone. But when I do give some to a homeless person I did it cause I wanted to. There is no dilemma, I don't second guess myself and i don't decide what's good for others. I gave ....that the beginning and end of it for me. If if turns out to be a rich guy ....fine so be it. If this $5 somehow turns his life around and a decade later he's a CEO of a fortune 500 company. ...great! If it gets him a meal .....just as good. If it buys him a hit of his favorite drug......it is what it is
 
My thinking is that there are plenty of govt agencies and church groups that would help the truly needy out.

One thing I never checked out; how many men actually served in Viet Nam as compared to the number of Viet Nam
Vet caps that have been sold.
 
I work in a bad neighborhood in Philadelphia. If I gave money to all the homeless people I encounter every day, then I'd be bankrupt and applying for welfare by 2nd or 3rd work day.

I donate money to my fiance's church (Well, I guess it is now my Church too since I go with her every time she goes), who then does stuff for the homeless and other families who are less fortunate than others. Her pastor is a heck of a guy, and I trust he does the best he can with the donations to benefit those in need. One of the reasons I don't mind going to her church is because her pastor doesn't act like a "TV preacher".
 
How do you know when you give money to a person representing him/her self as homeless that the person's life needs - food & shelter - are already taken care of by government, and that the money you give will be used to buy drugs? How do you know the money won't effectively be harmful?
 
vt_shooter said:
How do you know when you give money to a person representing him/her self as homeless that the person's life needs - food & shelter - are already taken care of by government, and that the money you give will be used to buy drugs? How do you know the money won't effectively be harmful?
Click to expand...
You don't, but if you pay attention, you can usually tell the difference between the scammers and the really helpless.

In the end you can't tell for sure. The gift has to be just that, as gift. When I give something to those proclaiming to be down on their luck, I trust that God will be faithful to see that it goes to good use.
 
Many times over the years when I was a patrolman I would see a down and outer with a dog. I've seen them share their food handouts with the dog. I once bought a guy who was a classic harmless old wino a sub sandwich. He had it in half in a heartbeat. His shaggy, matted-up mutt got the other half. I later heard he died one winter night because none of the shelters would allow him to bring his dog.
 
I used to see a particular fellow who was truly a nut. Someone had stolen his guitar that he played in front of the Acme store(usually). I never gave him money but did get him a 1/4 pounder meal at MDs every now and then. Heard he had the guitar stolen..had recently bought one at a yard sale for 5 bucks..to re-learn my old playing. So I gave it to him. I saw he played it quite a bit till I moved here to Wy. Recently heard he had passed away. He was one of those that my wife saw frequently in the emergency room at the local hospital...mostly when the weather was pretty bad.
 
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