Alms

[serenissima]

I've been told more than once that giving money to panhandlers is useless, because they just spend it on liquor. But I always feel a small pang of guilt when I turn one down.

I had a coupon for one free Dunkin Donuts smoothie, so just now during my lunch hour I headed up the street to get my smoothie. I exited the store and was approached by a man who asked me for spare change. I told him, "You can have my smoothie," and held it out to him. He said he didn't want to take me smoothie from me, but I could drink half and save half for him. I smiled and started back to work. The man asked, "So are you going to save half for me? Why are you walking away?"

I went back inside Dunkin Donuts and asked for a small cup. I poured half my strawberry smoothie into the paper cup and gave it to the man outside, who thanked me. I've been thinking about my handling of the incident all the way back to my office.

The strawberries tasted saccharin-sweet, anyway. They were probably canned in syrup.

Comments

[purrzah.livejournal.com]

Giving them cash, or even gift cards/certificates that they might then sell for cash is not a good idea but...

Giving them food, buying sandwiches or as you did, is good. If they'll take it, then you know you've done a good thing. If they don't, you know what they were really after.

[pulplit.livejournal.com]

I rarely give money to panhandlers, but when I do it's definitely money. I really don't especially care if s/he's going to use it on alcohol or drugs. It's always felt weird and controlling to me. Like the important part is that you feel good about having given something.

This is a really easy topic to get defensive about, so please understand that I'm just sort of outlining my attitude. I guess it seems to me like one should either give the guy what you want to give him or not. If I'm not going to give him anything, then I just don't, I think the "he'd just drink it away!" thing feels like making excuses to me. If I'm feeling that guilty about it, then I can volunteer at a shelter or do something a little more substantive than give a dude a hoagie, you know?

And if I do give him money and he spends it on booze, then that's fine. It was my decision to give him the money, now it's his decision on how to spend it, and once it left my hand it ceased being for me to judge how it's spent. The government gives me a lot of money and I've spent it on a lot of frivolous shit, who am I to judge how a homeless guy spends his days?

[403.livejournal.com]

I carry food more often than I carry cash, so I end up giving more food than I do money. *shrug* It's not like I can't get myself another bagel, or whatever.