Saw a woman begging for food money.

[realinvestment]

Outside a shop where I bought morning coffee for a buck thirty seven. It was only 8:15 am on Sunday.

Should I have given her anything? How much?

Maybe you should learn to think for yourself instead of looking for confirmation from on line strangers.

Haven't most of us encountered such a situation? And unless you're totally in-compassionate, you've probably given somebody something.

In the numerous times I've encountered beggars I've had lots of different responses.

 

[JohnL.Burke]

I lived in Las Vegas for twenty years and I would often see the same woman begging for money in front of various casinos and gas stations. She always had a small girl with her. What was interesting though was that the small girl was always different. I always wondered if she was babysitting and making extra money or perhaps she was just borrowing her neighbor's or family's children. It always helps to pull on the heartstrings while begging. I'm always suspicious when I see beggars in wheelchairs and crutches (are these props?)
Personally, if I were to beg for money I think I would find a good spot to park my iron lung and then just lay inside and sleep while people threw money in my donation bedpan.
There was a guy in front of the Imperial Palace everyday who had no arms or legs. He sat quietly in his wheelchair with a sign that read ,"Please help, I will not buy liquor or drugs with your money". Sometimes, depending on my financial situation, I would give him money. I figured even if he was lying and buying alcohol or drugs with the money I really wouldn't give a damn. Hell, I would buy him a bottle of Scotch if he had asked.

 

[Noomi]

Outside a shop where I bought morning coffee for a buck thirty seven. It was only 8:15 am on Sunday.

Should I have given her anything? How much?

Buy her breakfast. That way you know the money isn't going towards booze or drugs.

And if she refuses, don't give her anything.

 

[Big Black Dog]

I don't give money, or anything else, to people on the street begging. In Rockford, I see the very same guy at different places around town pulling his scams. One day his sign will say "Homeless Veteran". You'll see him somewhere else and he will have a sign that says "Stranded. Need money for bus ticket." I saw him once with a sign that said "House burnt down. Need help." This guy, and many like him, are nothing but con artists.

 

[Mr. H.]

I wonder if this is tax deductible. Would they get pissed if you asked for a receipt?

 

[asaratis]

I tried to give food to someone doing that once and they got pissed off. And one time a friend of mine was driving along and saw a woman with a sign that said, "Need food to buy diapers." He happened to have a pack of diapers in the back of his car, so he pulled over and offered them to the woman. She was angry and refused the diapers. Hmmm.

Right now my husband has finally gotten back to work after being unemployed for several months, and he is working at minimum wage to start. We have racked up quite a bit of debt and my company is being sold so I'm uncertain about my job. So, other than supporting the numerous animals I have rescued and I now support, I give nothing to anybody. My first responsibility is to keep my own home running. At such time as our financial situation improves, I may give some donations to animal causes. The animals are TRULY helpless.

I've been there, I much prefer being able to give rather than being forced to receive.

As for beggers on the street, I now tell them where the community suppers are and where they can get free lunches as well as help. I also tell them where and what hours the food bank operates. One time a man asked me for money for food and I said I didn't have any cash, but I could be back in about 10 or 15 minutes with some sandwiches. He said, "no thanks".

I try not to give out cash at all.

I'll give away cigarettes and occasionally lighters, but not cash.

We're encouraged not to in the downtown area. It just encourages more panhandling. Old style parking meters have been placed in various spots with signs requesting donations deposited in them instead of in the hands of beggars. The donations are sent to local shelters that provide food and clothing to indigents.

I hardly ever give away cash now. There was a time several years ago when a well known, shabbily dressed, white-bearded urban outdoorsman shuffled up near me while I was taking an afternoon smoke and said, "Hey Capmmm. I need a drink!"

...I chuckled and gave him a Hamilton just for tellin' the truth!

Then there was a time when I was into boiled eggs that I would boil them two dozen at a time, wrap them individually in foil, refrigerate and take two each morning (one in each jacket pocket) to work...and each morning just DYIN' for some bum to ask me to help with some food money. Ida said "No, but here's some food for you."...and offered an egg or two.

...but I never was approached while armed with the eggs.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Outside a shop where I bought morning coffee for a buck thirty seven. It was only 8:15 am on Sunday.

Should I have given her anything? How much?

Yes: a wide berth. As to how much...depends: how recently has she bathed?

 

[Jarlaxle]

Outside a shop where I bought morning coffee for a buck thirty seven.

One, you're coffee probably sucks if you're paying a buck thirty seven. Two, this woman was not begging for food, she was begging for money. Between food stamps, all the federal, state and local programs, and voluntary charity, nobody's starving in this country. She wanted money to spend as she wished.

I pay $1 (for a very large cup) for my coffee. It's great, vastly superior to anything else I have found.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

Outside a shop where I bought morning coffee for a buck thirty seven. It was only 8:15 am on Sunday.

Should I have given her anything? How much?

That's kinda up to you, isn't it?

 

[Gracie]

I buy them a sandwich. Some even use a puppy or a dog as bait..saying their pet is sooooo hungry. So I buy them a sandwich and can or two of dog food.

Too many abuse the kindness of strangers.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

I don't give money, or anything else, to people on the street begging. In Rockford, I see the very same guy at different places around town pulling his scams. One day his sign will say "Homeless Veteran". You'll see him somewhere else and he will have a sign that says "Stranded. Need money for bus ticket." I saw him once with a sign that said "House burnt down. Need help." This guy, and many like him, are nothing but con artists.

There was a guy over by LSU who always had a daughter who needed to eat. After 15 years of hearing this same bit I said "Isn't your daughter old enough to support herself by now?"

 

[Mr. H.]

There's an elder gentleman that hung around the city in which I lived quite a few years ago.
I referred to him as "Mike the bag man". He's a bit of a local legend.
He never said a word as he roamed around town, stopping on occasion to just sit and rest.
Always gave that guy a dollar. And he always looked me square in the eye and said "thank you".

A couple years ago I saw two kids giving him some shit so I just walked over and stood next to Mike, and those boys went on their way.

For a dollar, I'll give these folks the benefit of the doubt. Not often mind you. Hell I've spent much more money on my own fruitless endeavors LOL.

 

[Mr. H.]

I'm having a nice glass of fruitless endeavor on ice.

 

[Mr. H.]

As shit-ass broke as our family was for years I never understood why my mother didn't queue up for government help. She was that proud. 7 kids to feed, aged 3 to 17 at the time. It was a bitch of a life, but it toughened us up but good.

The first Christmas after dad died there was a box on the porch full of old used toys. We never figured out who may have left it. I spotted it early that morning (I was 12), and mom told me to salvage what I could and wrap it up - put it under the tree. Toss the rest, and don't say a word to the other kids.

And such was life for the next 7 years. And to this day I make every effort to donate to various charities especially around the Holidays. Sure, some may end up in the pockets of hucksters. But if one dime of my money makes it to someone who is truly needy then it's money well given.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

A good idea to do if you run into bums a lot is to carry a card or two in your wallet of some charity that can help them. If they are truly honest people just down on their luck, they often just need to be pointed in the right direction to get help from charity. Then you can just donate the $1 to that charity. If they are dishonest and just trying to hit you up for drug money all you've lost is a card and the charity spends the $1 on someone else who needs it.

 

[Againsheila]

As shit-ass broke as our family was for years I never understood why my mother didn't queue up for government help. She was that proud. 7 kids to feed, aged 3 to 17 at the time. It was a bitch of a life, but it toughened us up but good.

The first Christmas after dad died there was a box on the porch full of old used toys. We never figured out who may have left it. I spotted it early that morning (I was 12), and mom told me to salvage what I could and wrap it up - put it under the tree. Toss the rest, and don't say a word to the other kids.

And such was life for the next 7 years. And to this day I make every effort to donate to various charities especially around the Holidays. Sure, some may end up in the pockets of hucksters. But if one dime of my money makes it to someone who is truly needy then it's money well given.

Amen.

I grew up poor. 4 brother and sisters and my dad in the military, we didn't have much. One Christmas my dad got some wood for free from a guy at work. I got a homemade toybox that year, my sister got a record cabinet with a record player installed that my parents had gotten from our cousin (they had money and frequently gave us stuff they didn't need anymore) and my other sister got a little corner cabinet for her little china dishes. We also got button boxes that were handmade. We were poor, but I don't remember ever having a Christmas that wasn't happy. I even remember when the ornament for the top of the tree broke. We didn't get our tree until Christmas eve that year, they were always cheaper on Christmas eve. No way to replace the ornament, my mother cut a start out of cardboard and covered it with foil and they put a hole in it and stuck one of the old Christmas tree lights through it. It was our first lighted Christmas tree top and we loved it.

We didn't get help from the state either, and we always had enough but I was sure tired of hand me downs. The first time I got a dress that was mine before it was someone else's was when I started 4th grade. My mother got 3 dresses for $5.00 on sale. One of them I really hated, but I wore it anyway. The other two were pretty cool.

When my husband was laid off for three years, and for the first time in my life it took me a year to find a job, we were dirt poor and never would have made it without the help of our friends, family and neighbors. The state refused to help, we had too many assets. Our neighbors church gave us Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets. The first time it showed up I cried. I was happy to have it but ashamed to have to take it. The first thing I did when we were back on our feet was give that church a check for their Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets.

I don't care what anybody says, it's hard to find a job today, harder than it was when I was looking for that year and I would have taken anything. As it was, my job paid more when I started than when I left. I worked for United Airlines and they were in bankruptcy. Everybody had their pay cut. Pretty hard when you start making $9.25 an hour and end up making $8.60 an hour after working there a year and a half. Thank God my husband got hired just before my job went to India, or we would have lost more than my 1969 mustang convertible which I had to sell so we could pay our bills and not lose our house. I'll never have a car like that again.

 

[Mr. H.]

We were poor, but I don't remember ever having a Christmas that wasn't happy.

Not enough of that going around these days.

The nouveau poor of today's society are not fighters and survivors but takers and shakers.

Take what you can and shake down the taxpayer.

 

[FireFly]

I wonder if this is tax deductible. Would they get pissed if you asked for a receipt?

Snap a picture of them with your phone while you are holding out the money. Put it in the tax folder & write it off.

 

[Noomi]

There is a homeless guy who lives around my local area. He lives on government benefits, spends it all on smokes, and begs for more money, which he again spends on smokes - and coffee.
Now, if you are really down on your luck, then I may help you out. But if you are going to choose smokes over a warm bed, a shower, and a new pair of clothes, then I won't give you a penny.

 

[mightydog]

An act of charity rewards the giver as well as the one who receives. If you worry that this person is not truly worthy of your gift than your reward is diminished.