Panhandling in the 'BurbsTommy is out of town, and of course once again I resorted to McDonald's for our "wholesome" family meal while he's away. So, we got in the car last night and drove down to our favorite location for a bite to eat. While we were waiting at one of the busiest intersections in our 'burb, I glanced up and noticed that there were four or five people that appeared to be panhandling for money on the median. They were walking up to all the cars pleading for a helping hand. A couple of them had things written on their buckets like, "I've lost everything, please help."
There were several thoughts Scytheboy had on this. From my perspective, if these people are indeed hurricane victims I do certainly understand why they would feel so desperate for funds. But also I realize if they are legitimate victims they have access to free food and shelter, donated clothing, and also opportunities for more permanent housing with a $600/mo. stipend plus thousands of dollars from The Red Cross and FEMA in the form of debit cards. So why this? Scytheboy said, "We don't know who these people really are or if they were victims. They're probably from Dallas and are just trying to take advantage of the situation." That said, of course we didn't directly donate to hurricane relief last night.
Now....here's the question. Would you open your window and hand over a few bucks to these people that appear to be so needy? Or would you rather do like most of us have and donate to a reputable charity?
I'm curious to hear what you'd do if confronted with this situation, or what you have done if you've already had to deal with it. As a side note, a police car drove up and these people scattered as quickly as they could, jaywalking all over the intersection. So at the very least they probably didn't have licenses to solicit.
Thoughts?
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Comments
I occasionally give to reputable charities--but they irritate me. I have a feeling my $25 is spent only on sending me more crap asking for more money. The other week I gave $5 to some guy in the grocery store parking lot. At least he'll probably get a bottle of immediate pleasure out of it.
Posted by: Paula on September 19, 2005 01:16 PM
Firstly, hi Peaches!! Popped in because we hang out in the blogosphere with some of the same people.
Secondly, I would rather play it safe and donate to reputable charities. There are too many people in this world too willing to take advantage of the misfortunes of other, and try and profit from it. If the people you saw were legitimate, I doubt they would have scattered.
SO, I do what I can to make sure my money gets to those who need it, not those who want it..
Posted by: DaFFy on September 19, 2005 12:09 AM
