How do feel about Panhandling?
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| I too may be booed and hissed at, but I totally agree with you.
My last straw was when I left my office to get lunch, two twenty-somethingers begged me for money saying that they were hungry. I told them that I dont hand money out. Going thru the drive thru, i thought, hmmmm if theyre hungry, ill get them each a meal...so i did.....walking back into the office, i handed them the food and the thanks i got was "aww we had this yesterday.." I give up. I now just donate clothing and furniture, never money and never food. |
| I agree--I donate stuff. I just don't like the fact that the person can do anything they want with the money, like buy a beer, when their sign says they are hungry and want food, and that's what I think the money will be going toward.
There was always a guy on the way to my high school who had a sign that read Why lie, I need a beer... I always liked that sign because you at least knew where your money was going... |
| oh speaking of donating....this may sound really bad but i wasnt feeling too good that day......
i was at the grocery store and the check out girl asked me if i would like to donate toward breast cancer....i told her i did, my left one 
she gave me a blank look.....yeah, i know, i shouldnt have done that to the poor kid....it was just one of those days  |
Good one, Darcy. Pays to keep your sense of humor. 
As for panhandling, I never give money. I will donate to the soup kitchen via my time, cash, or sometimes pies & cakes. But, I never give out money to people with signs.  |
Darcy wrote: oh speaking of donating....this may sound really bad but i wasnt feeling too good that day......
i was at the grocery store and the check out girl asked me if i would like to donate toward breast cancer....i told her i did, my left one she gave me a blank look.....yeah, i know, i shouldnt have done that to the poor kid....it was just one of those days  |
| Oh Darcy...you just never lose your sense of humor, do you?! You're so special! Tony and I had dinner at a really fine restaurant in the City (Seven on Seven - Cajun food, yum!). We were walking to the parking lot and a guy stopped us and asked if he could have our leftovers. That seemed like a reasonable request to me, so we said of course! He then asked what they were! And...preceeded to turn them down! The nerve of some of these people. I lost my bleeding heart ways, years ago. |
debcram wrote: Oh Darcy...you just never lose your sense of humor, do you?! You're so special!
Tony and I had dinner at a really fine restaurant in the City (Seven on Seven - Cajun food, yum!). We were walking to the parking lot and a guy stopped us and asked if he could have our leftovers. That seemed like a reasonable request to me, so we said of course! He then asked what they were! And...preceeded to turn them down! The nerve of some of these people. I lost my bleeding heart ways, years ago. wow, im so glad that the ingratiousness didnt only happen to me....i mean, really??!!! ps....when i said it i wasnt trying to be funny....just stating a fact |
Darcy wrote: ps....when i said it i wasnt trying to be funny....just stating a fact
Is it wrong that we find the quip funny? |
Maxmm wrote: Darcy wrote: ps....when i said it i wasnt trying to be funny....just stating a fact Is it wrong that we find the quip funny? absolutely not!! just didnt want you to think i was always funny  i do have a meanish side too  |
Darcy...you coulda said, "Hey! I gave til it hurt!"
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| Priceless Darcy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I never give out money to people on the street. . I donate to the Salvation Army Bell Ringers at Holiday time, the Vounteers of American year round and do what ever, when ever I can to donate food to my local food pantry. No one choses to be homeless and on the street but I don't start helping til they start looking for help through legitamate sources. I also REALLY resent the "Give A BUCK" campaigns at grocery stores and such, I get tired of being asked "Would you like to donate a dollar to ( FILL IN THE BLANK)" every time I go to a check out counter. I donate time to things I feel are worthwhile, and last night I gave two units of blood. I'm all for random acts of kindness and charity but they no longer become random when we are constantly pressured to give. It's another reason I resent the pressure to tip anyone and everyone at holiday time (I know I know, we have beat THAT dead horse to death). |
| I remember being in L.A. visiting a friend years ago and saw a man ask a tourist for money. The friend of mine said watch this. The tourist gave the man a dollar. He said thanks. When the tourist turned his back the panhandler pulls a wad of money out of his pocket folded up nicely. Guessing... close to $100 give or take, not a bad days work. When all he did was ask people for money all day. That was around 2pm. If he worked till 7 or 8 he may have had around $200.
I know some of these people have fallen on hard times but I will never give money to people in that situation. Give to a charity, firemen, etc. but never to panhandlers. Sorry... all I can say is Mc Donalds is always hiring! |
| The image is stuck in my mind of a guy in downtown Columbus- standing with a "Will work for food sign". This was in front of a Wendy's that had a "Now Hiring" banner flying.
Like most of you- giving our time - donating to a local food pantry etc is our way of helping. Makes us feel that we are giving back to those that hopefully appreciate it. For years we adopted a family at work. I always contributed - until two years ago. On the list were things like "New Drapes for living room- matching pillows - rugs and and a very specific place to purchase these items. ( Macy's) I may get hissed - but- If I had hungry children at Christmas, I wouldn't be concerned about redecorating my living room. Of course we can only assume. Maybe those things would make them more comforatble as a family. Anyway.... I'll donated locally to families that I know need it, or visit elderly neighbors that have no one. |
| my favorite place to visit people are nursing homes...those elderly people are just the most AWESOME people on this earth. My most favorite guy was a lonely gentleman I used to visit while in highschool....Mr. Corterville... to this day, i still think about him. and smile....Rest in peace.... |
| I work in downtown Detroit. Enough said?
You can't give them money. It's like feeding a stray cat. They get to know who you are and will keep coming back. I donate to Salvation Army regularly but I also often bring old clothes (especially like last year's scarves and gloves) to work and leave them in the bus stop for people to pick up and use, that way they don't see me. Same with cans (since we have a 10 cent deposit), I leave them out but you can never give them to a specific person. They remember you. The only way to get rid of someone that does keep coming back to you (which I learned the hard way when I was new in the city) is to preemptively ask them for money. Once they think you have nothing, they start leaving you alone. Most of our homeless are of the crazy, deranged variety. We don't have the LA/San Francisco style panhandlers, which are a lot of kids with nothing lacking other than ambition. Those fruitcakes can go out and get jobs, there are a lot of opportunities for the young and able bodied. The whackos have a lot fewer choices. I know it's very hard to apply for jobs when you don't have a permanent address and I do understand that but where there's a will, there's a way. There are programs to help people who really want to try to get back on their feet. It's not the solution for every homeless person but it can help people who are just down on their luck and aren't nuts or lazy. |
| My husband owns a Lock shop in a not so great part of town. I used to work for him during the day for about a year. I always took 1 or 2 dogs with me for protection. My sheepies can lick someone to death!!! Nearly everyday someone at least one, would come in asking for money, cigarettes, to use the phone or whatever. I know these folks are not homeless, they live next door or near to the business. I would get so aggrivated at these folks I wanted to yell....and DON'T COME BACK!!!! of course I didn't but geez luweez! They can be like stray cats, give them one dish of milk and they own you!!! |
| About the story of the guy with the huge wad of $$ in LA...that reminds me of a story I saw years ago, probably on some 60 Minutes type show. It said that some of those people who beg for money can actually end up making something like $60,000 a year...one guy even had his kid in private school. He parked his regular car out of sight and got into his homeless outfit and begged for money (he started out homeless, but once he made enough $$ and could live in a house, he still kept begging because of how good the money was) |
I never give to individuals on the street....Id much rather help that same person by donating to a shelter. Up here, people who get cash to drink with often pass out and freeze to death. Much, much better that they are forced by hunger or boredom to go somewhere warm.  My old studio was in a "bad" area of Anchorage, and we would always have to check all around the building each morning to make sure there weren't any drunks passed out....or worse. |
| If you are looking for a good place to donate money...churches that run Out Reach programs are always running out of money. They help the working poor who are having difficults paying their bills, meaning Electric, Gas, food, Doctor ect. Most run out of money mid month, so if you would really like to see your doncations go to people in your community there is where I would put my bucks. You don't need to belong to a church to donate to their Out Reach program. Just a thought. |
| We have a lot of panhandlers also. There is one guy that stands out there with a sign that reads "Why lie--I need a beer".
What bothers me the most is the people that have dogs with them. I know that may sound awful but at least there are shelters and soup kitchens for the people to go to. If they can't care for themselves how are they supposed to care for a dog? I bought a box of dog treats once and gave it to the guy....he didn't seem thrilled with me. My husband later saw the same guy tying the dog up outside of a liquor store. He waited until he came out and told him he should be ashamed. People took their hard earned money away from their families to help him and he was blowing it on booze. I told my husband he should have saved his breath and just taken the dog!  |
| The funny thing about homeless people and dogs is usually they don't even have the dog on a leash and the dog is following very obediently. I wish I could walk my dogs downtown without them running into traffic or jumping on all the friendly folks passing by. A dog living outside is more natural than a human doing the same. Dogs always have there coat with them. |
MissingMurphy wrote: We have a lot of panhandlers also. There is one guy that stands out there with a sign that reads "Why lie--I need a beer".
In Key West, there was a guy with a sign...Why Lie...I need to buy some pot. I was so struck by his honestly, I gave him a $5. I'm such a sucker |
debcram wrote: MissingMurphy wrote: We have a lot of panhandlers also. There is one guy that stands out there with a sign that reads "Why lie--I need a beer". In Key West, there was a guy with a sign...Why Lie...I need to buy some pot. I was so struck by his honestly, I gave him a $5. I'm such a sucker In a similar fashion, I do sometimes consider giving money for someone who does something interesting for it. Honesty wins points as does music and dance. One time a guy did a cool card trick for me so I gave him a few bucks. I work for my money so I don't think it's unfair to ask the same of others. |
| I like that! Look for effort and originality in their attempts to let you do the work!!!!!! |
| I don't give to people on the street either. Laurel is correct, the other day I watch one pan handler drinking out of a bag while working the street. You can ignore the ones on the street corners, the ones I realy find irritating are the ones sitting on the sidewalk in front of a public building. You have to step over them.
In Anchorage it is a little harder to have you homeless camp in the winter. The leaves fall off and then everone can see you. There are groups that go in after the leaves are gone and remove the homeless camps. Then there are bags and bags on the edge of the road waiting to be picked up.  |
| Last summer when my nephew & I were in Rome, we were standing in this ridiculously long line to get into the Vatican. All along the route of the sidewalk as it curved around were people begging for money. With the exception of a few old women, most of them were also providing some type of entertainment.
My precious, oh so innocent, nephew remarked to me how nice it was of those folks to come out in the hot sun all day just to entertain those of us who were waiting in that long line. I gave him some money to donate. |
| We have panhandlers in Philly that will stand in FREE public parking lots in certain areas of town, and direct your car into a parking spot and then expect to be tipped. If you don't tip, you feel like your car won't be all in one piece when you come back to it.
I never give money to the people that come right out and ask for it. I have given money to street performers because I enjoy them sometimes, and have given hot food to the homeless just lying on subway grates. |
Darcy, you are priceless!! 
I have mixed feelings about panhandling. Don't come up to me and beg....I've been called every name in the book for refusing their request (why is it the women with kids who cuss me out??) (the men often say "God Bless you" as they walk away......boy do I feel bad then!) Recently a visiting monk showed us up.......a homeless man approached our group as we left a restaurant. Before you could blink an eye, the man had food in his hand and the monk was walking him to the homeless shelter. So as for me, I don't carry cash (that way I can't go thru drivethrus for food but also I can honestly say to panhandlers I don't have money.) However I'm seriously considering carrying my credit cards and driver's license in a small wallet and keeping it my pocket so if someone grabs my purse, they'll get a cheap purse filled with tissues, lipsticks, combs and cough drops. |
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