There is this homeless man that has a dog that likes to crash in an old hunting shack in the woods near my house, when he isn't being run out by the state park police. I see him all the time walking his dog along the lake, and fishing in the nicer weather.

Last winter, I was in the closest gas station/grocery/tackle store (oh the joys of living on the edge of town) he walked in and grabbed a can of dog food and a can of spaghetti-os and walked up to the counter. I didn't hear the conversation as I was looking for a caffine fix, but when I approached the counter, he was sliding the spaghetti-os to the side and paying for just the dog food. He walked outside and opened it and let his dog eat.

I couldn't stand it, I bought him the spaghetti-os. He put up a bit of a fuss, saying that it was okay as long as his dog ate, but I insisted. He then took it and ate it immediately, thanking me.

I frequently leave canned dog food for him on his lake side path, in the hopes that he will use whatever money he has to feed himself. Sometimes I add a box of spaghetti-os, just so he knows it's okay. A few days after I do that, a driftwood carving appears on our dock.

Spaghetti O's come in a box???

-RC
--Not calling bullshit, just making sure we live on the same planet

I live in San Francisco... which I believe has one of the highest populations of homeless people in the country.. so I get hit up A LOT... and I have to say, I never give them money and I don't feel bad about it.
I donate to charities and do volunteer stuff, I also vote for people who make homelessness part of their campaign platform. Some of the people get kinda agressive and scary... so I find it easier to ignore them and help in other ways.

wow some of you are REALLY SHELTERED.

when i was younger (not long ago, like in h.s.) i used to have the attitude of "why cant they just get a job instead of standing around..."

but ive come across homeless people from many walks of life. yes some of them are drunks/druggies, but really if you didnt have anything, chances are that is what youre gonna turn to. many people on the train asking for change are honestly ppl who got laid off or their wife/gf got pregnant and they need money for the baby. sometimes ppl are just looking for train fare. asking for money or support is the hardest thing to do--thats a lot of pride to swallow. do you think they would be doing it if they didnt have to or need to?

it is NOT easy to "just get it together and get your life on track." not all soup kitchens are do-gooders and are very snubby to homeless ppl. ive seen it from workin in soup kitchens.

and lastly, homeless people arent intrinsically homeless. they are people like you and i, and many of you have horrible pre-conceived notions of what that actually is. these people are not alcohol-infested, psychologically-messed up, cant-do-shit fuckups. they have or may have had families, friends, etc and maybe lived priveledged lifes like some of you did.

think about that as you sip your chai lattes and compare that to the similar one-dimensional stereotype of greeks that most of you despise.

<<coming from someone who was "homeless" for 1.5 years through college, as well as a person who kinda knows their shit about this>>

oh, to answer the question, yes, i do give to "beggars and homeless." another man gave this guy $5 and i couldnt just walk past him like i hadnt seen him.

A box has like, 8 cans in it, you can buy them like that from Sam's for cheap.

So how do any of us know that the guy on the street asking for money actually IS homeless? I mean, if we're not stereotyping, of course.

I see less fortunate people on the subway and the streets all the time, and it breaks my heart. I never give directly to them, but when I see someone begging on a street corner, I always make a mental note to donate to charity. By doing so, I know for certain that my money is going to support a charity that will help provide these people with food and shelter. Plus, my company matches charitable contributions, so my contribution goes further.