I have a good sense of street smarts and use it. When I believe a panhandler is actually hungry and is asking for food money I will, if I have the time, tell the dude (it’s almost always a dude) to come with me to the nearest burger joint, if there IS one nearby.

Last time was close to a Burger King and I was also hungry.

As we entered the manager glared at both of us. I glared back.

We ordered then went outside and sat on the parking lot cement curb reveling in the spring sun’s warmth as we scarfed what was a decent-tasting burger.

Shot the breeze about life in general.

When done we went our separate ways.

The chap thanked me and wished me well.

I am agnostic. Neither believing or disbelieving in a “Creator” but open to input other than mere unprovable “faith.”

But, I did read many years ago that, at times, angels walk the Earth to “test” humans. Why that would be needed by an all-knowing omniscient god-head is beyond my ken but the thought stuck in my oblate-spheroid shaped head.

What the heck. For a couple bucks I spread a little joy. And, knowing hunger’s pangs (rarely), if I can cast those pangs away from a fellow bi-pedal primate…. maybe someone will do it for me some day.

I wouldn’t advise females to do what I did, or males without the ability to nullify an adversary just in case the homeless hungry one turns violent for whatever reason.

The already-mentioned suggestions about kicking down some funds to the Starvation Army are good ones.

In a sea of charities that pay ridiculously high wages to their elite rulers I believe the SA is frugal and tries to stretch their funds as much as possible to perform actual charitable functions.

The whole homeless thing makes me sad… I try and give something to everyone I see, even if it is just a little.

When I worked in Georgetown we had quite a few homeless people come into my store. I had a couple come in on New Year’s Eve and said that they were victims of Katrina. One guy said he had a house in Mississippi and his wife said their house in the French Quarter got washed away. But they garnered sympathy and got free soap and shampoo samples. At the time we took in two employees from our store in New Orleans (French Quarter, which sustained little damage) and I think if they had overheard the homeless couple’s act, they would have punched them in the face. I don’t work there anymore, but they would come in all the time and abuse our sample policy.

We had another guy who was really really tall and smelled awful come in and look at all the soaps. There’s obviously something wrong with him but he’s harmless and pretty soon he goes on his way, but it still spooked the customers.

Jerry
http://www.leads4insurance.com

However, I’ve found that I feel better about it and am not harrassed when I look them in the eye and say something like, “sorry, but I can’t.” At least then I am acknowledging them as a human being and being respectful.

On Monday, I was just cussed out by a ‘homeless’ person parked out on a overturned bucket at a busy off ramp intersection in a nearby city. I rolled up to the stoplight (unfortunately red) with the window cracked down. He must have seen that as an opportunity to engage in conversation because he started to yell ‘Hey ma’am!’ I ignored him and rolled up my window. Pretty much every word I could make out after that was either the ‘f’ word or him calling me a ‘b.’

That experience pretty much cemented in my head that I will never give handouts like that.

Needless to say, that pretty much ruined the chance of ANY panhandler ever getting another dollar from me!

So, no cash…check. Donate to the Salvation Army for tax deduction and to do good…check!