Comments on: Should you give money to panhandlers? http://thephilanthropicfamily.com/2008/05/23/should-you-give-money-to-panhandlers/ infusing everyday life with the love of humanity Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:39:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Thoughts and Musings on Art, Life, Dreams & Such — By Lorraine Mulligan (Dewey) — watercolor blog, blog, art blog http://thephilanthropicfamily.com/2008/05/23/should-you-give-money-to-panhandlers/#comment-752 Thoughts and Musings on Art, Life, Dreams & Such — By Lorraine Mulligan (Dewey) — watercolor blog, blog, art blog Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:27:45 +0000 http://thephilanthropicfamily.wordpress.com/?p=31#comment-752 [...] incident brings a couple questions to mind.  Will I give again?  And would he have shared the winnings from his lottery scratch with me?  I can only answer the [...] [...] incident brings a couple questions to mind.  Will I give again?  And would he have shared the winnings from his lottery scratch with me?  I can only answer the [...]

]]> By: Rachel http://thephilanthropicfamily.com/2008/05/23/should-you-give-money-to-panhandlers/#comment-574 Rachel Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:29:49 +0000 http://thephilanthropicfamily.wordpress.com/?p=31#comment-574 I think only a limited money like five dollars should be permitted at maximum. I think only a limited money like five dollars should be permitted at maximum.

]]> By: Judy http://thephilanthropicfamily.com/2008/05/23/should-you-give-money-to-panhandlers/#comment-316 Judy Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:17:49 +0000 http://thephilanthropicfamily.wordpress.com/?p=31#comment-316 Wonderful thoughts on an important question, Sharon. Thank you for this thought-provoking post. I so appreciate Yin's loving approach. It gives me a new perspective on giving to the homeless. It also made me think about how some Americans resent the government giving "handouts" to the poor, therefore, it would make it our responsibility to look after one another more attentively and caringly. I lived in Los Angeles for several years and had many occasions to grapple with these thoughts. My resolution was to keep food in the car and offer it when I met people in need. Sometimes, people in need hung out near a grocery and I would buy some extra food while shopping. To Melissa, in particular: I heard a very moving story on NPR the other day. A family wasn't able to make ends meet and the wife made the decision, one that she found humiliating, to panhandle. Her story had a happier ending, but it's an experience that made her - and the listeners - put more charity in our thoughts about the individuals holding cardboard signs at stoplights. Here's a link to the piece: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95670969 Thank you for a wonderful blog, Sharon! I look forward to being a regular reader! Wonderful thoughts on an important question, Sharon. Thank you for this thought-provoking post.

I so appreciate Yin’s loving approach. It gives me a new perspective on giving to the homeless. It also made me think about how some Americans resent the government giving “handouts” to the poor, therefore, it would make it our responsibility to look after one another more attentively and caringly.

I lived in Los Angeles for several years and had many occasions to grapple with these thoughts. My resolution was to keep food in the car and offer it when I met people in need. Sometimes, people in need hung out near a grocery and I would buy some extra food while shopping.

To Melissa, in particular: I heard a very moving story on NPR the other day. A family wasn’t able to make ends meet and the wife made the decision, one that she found humiliating, to panhandle. Her story had a happier ending, but it’s an experience that made her – and the listeners – put more charity in our thoughts about the individuals holding cardboard signs at stoplights.

Here’s a link to the piece: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95670969

Thank you for a wonderful blog, Sharon! I look forward to being a regular reader!

]]> By: Sharon Schneider http://thephilanthropicfamily.com/2008/05/23/should-you-give-money-to-panhandlers/#comment-157 Sharon Schneider Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:26:02 +0000 http://thephilanthropicfamily.wordpress.com/?p=31#comment-157 Yin, Thank you for pointing out the different standards we hold the poor to. Your compassion is quite moving and I appreciate your comments very much. I suspect fear is the biggest factor that keeps people from looking panhandlers in the eye. But fear of what? Yin, Thank you for pointing out the different standards we hold the poor to. Your compassion is quite moving and I appreciate your comments very much.

I suspect fear is the biggest factor that keeps people from looking panhandlers in the eye. But fear of what?

]]> By: Yin from Hawaii http://thephilanthropicfamily.com/2008/05/23/should-you-give-money-to-panhandlers/#comment-156 Yin from Hawaii Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:42:14 +0000 http://thephilanthropicfamily.wordpress.com/?p=31#comment-156 Twenty years ago, I asked this question of a mentor of mine when I first started working as an urban community organizer (I grew up in small town). He was someone who worked all his life with poor farmworkers and gave me an answer that went something like this: "All day people give their money to all kinds of businesses and companies when they buy things and we don't really ask if they use their profit in ethical ways or if they treat their workers, spouses, or children well. For all we know they may be abusing drugs or alcohol with their wages or profit. But when an obviously poor street person asks for our spare change, we ask them to submit to a much higher morality / good behavior test. I would rather err on the side of compassion each time I am given the opportunity to share with someone who obviously needs help instead of holding back for fear of misuse of my spare change. If someone does use it for drugs, alcohol that is sad and unfortunate, but I give him or her the same freedom to make the same mistakes as middle class or rich people." Since then, I give whatever I can when asked, look whoever is asking in the eye and ask them to "Take care." I also often ask my children to do the giving as well and to look the person in the eye and to smile. I notice that people will walk past a panhandler or poor person without looking or making eye contact, why do you think that is the case? Twenty years ago, I asked this question of a mentor of mine when I first started working as an urban community organizer (I grew up in small town). He was someone who worked all his life with poor farmworkers and gave me an answer that went something like this: “All day people give their money to all kinds of businesses and companies when they buy things and we don’t really ask if they use their profit in ethical ways or if they treat their workers, spouses, or children well. For all we know they may be abusing drugs or alcohol with their wages or profit. But when an obviously poor street person asks for our spare change, we ask them to submit to a much higher morality / good behavior test. I would rather err on the side of compassion each time I am given the opportunity to share with someone who obviously needs help instead of holding back for fear of misuse of my spare change. If someone does use it for drugs, alcohol that is sad and unfortunate, but I give him or her the same freedom to make the same mistakes as middle class or rich people.” Since then, I give whatever I can when asked, look whoever is asking in the eye and ask them to “Take care.” I also often ask my children to do the giving as well and to look the person in the eye and to smile. I notice that people will walk past a panhandler or poor person without looking or making eye contact, why do you think that is the case?

]]> By: Sharon Schneider http://thephilanthropicfamily.com/2008/05/23/should-you-give-money-to-panhandlers/#comment-107 Sharon Schneider Sat, 24 May 2008 21:19:08 +0000 http://thephilanthropicfamily.wordpress.com/?p=31#comment-107 Thanks, Melissa. I think you're right that compassionate human judgment about individuals rather than a sweeping generalization about all panhandlers is the best course. I also know someone who carries McDonald's gift certificates in $1 increments to hand out. Thanks, Melissa. I think you’re right that compassionate human judgment about individuals rather than a sweeping generalization about all panhandlers is the best course. I also know someone who carries McDonald’s gift certificates in $1 increments to hand out.

]]> By: Money Bread http://thephilanthropicfamily.com/2008/05/23/should-you-give-money-to-panhandlers/#comment-100 Money Bread Sat, 24 May 2008 05:23:19 +0000 http://thephilanthropicfamily.wordpress.com/?p=31#comment-100 [...] Should you givemoneyto panhandlers? [...] [...] Should you givemoneyto panhandlers? [...]

]]> By: Melissa http://thephilanthropicfamily.com/2008/05/23/should-you-give-money-to-panhandlers/#comment-98 Melissa Fri, 23 May 2008 22:04:17 +0000 http://thephilanthropicfamily.wordpress.com/?p=31#comment-98 I do not agree that you should give money to fund another persons drug problem. I don't think you should trust the person on the street who asks for money very often they have more money than you anyway and make a living out of it. I know that I would feel uncomfortable walking into a shop where someone was begging outside it. In my home town we get beggers sitting by the cash machines asking for money and I hate it. I don't mind giving money to the homeless but, I do it through the right channels and organisations that are set up to help legitimate people who need the help. Or I will take someone I think is homeless for a coffee or buy them a coffee in a plastic cup and a cake or sandwich. I will not give money to them. I am Christian, but I won't give money to people who I think are going to use it for drugs because that is just fueling a problem. I will tell my daughter that most of the time they want money to buy drugs and you are not helping them, but making their problem worse. I will also tell her the organisations set up to help. There is no need for begging anymore. However I can usually tell when someone really needs help and as I said before I will buy them something instead of giving the money outright to them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.freewebs.com/tippits -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do not agree that you should give money to fund another persons drug problem. I don’t think you should trust the person on the street who asks for money very often they have more money than you anyway and make a living out of it. I know that I would feel uncomfortable walking into a shop where someone was begging outside it. In my home town we get beggers sitting by the cash machines asking for money and I hate it. I don’t mind giving money to the homeless but, I do it through the right channels and organisations that are set up to help legitimate people who need the help. Or I will take someone I think is homeless for a coffee or buy them a coffee in a plastic cup and a cake or sandwich. I will not give money to them. I am Christian, but I won’t give money to people who I think are going to use it for drugs because that is just fueling a problem. I will tell my daughter that most of the time they want money to buy drugs and you are not helping them, but making their problem worse. I will also tell her the organisations set up to help. There is no need for begging anymore. However I can usually tell when someone really needs help and as I said before I will buy them something instead of giving the money outright to them.
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