Panhandling

[Mamaw]

Re: Panhandling

The head of the homeless shelter in my town say panhandlers take in about $75.00 and around holidays $150.00. His suggestion was if you feel you must give then carry McDonalds etc gift certificates that pretty much means they will get food.

[DivaJen]

Re: Panhandling

There is one man I see all over town. He has to be schizophrenic, or something. I feel for him, and I give him money from time to time. Other than that, as a general rule I don't normally give to panhandlers.

[jodi]

Re: Panhandling

Ditto on the above reasons. I give through organizations. My father-in-law once offered a panhandling guy some work, and he was turned down too. So I guess I don't really believe those "will work for food" signs anymore.

[Russell]

Re: Panhandling

I often put myself in their shoes for a moment and wonder...if I really needed money because something happened and I lost everything how would I approach someone and ask for help ? and I often find that my behavior would be very different. I'd be scared, shy and appologetic - none of which I see coming from the most panhandlers. Of course, then I wonder if I did it long enough (whether I needed to or not) then I might become like them...in other words, kinda pushy, careless etc...

In LA, during a heavy traffic jam, this panhandler who was saying swear words to people who wouldn't give him money came up to an old beatup pick up truck two cars ahead of me. The guy refused so the panhandler smacked the top of the truck and started to walk away. Out came a 300lb guy and beat the crap out of the panhandler...everyone around was in a shock. The panhandler ran off swearing that he'd be back but by this time the traffic in front of the truck had moved along so the guy got in the truck and took off...

[Dingoluv4eva]

Re: Panhandling

yah people get pissed when u hit their cars LOL

one time.. unrelated..

i was going to the mall, and i was walking to the entrance, on the crosswalk. and this older lady refused to let me pass her in front of her car.. she drove by like she didnt see me, so i taped the trunk of her car with my water bottle as i passed behind her.

so she freaks out, and starts screaming from the top of her lungs, and is turning all red... by that time i'm already walking into MACY's ..

she storms behind me, like WAHHHH!!!..
there was these two cops there, and they ended up grabbing her, and she ends up hitting herself in the face with her own fist.. and got a bloody nose..

the cops were like, what the hell is going on! she was yelling something, and i was just saying she almost hit me while i was crossing the street..

i just left while the cops were dealing with her.her.. i really hope they took her somewhere and beat her down hard.

[mom-from-missouri]

Re: Panhandling

Some are out to make money the easy way. I once saw a guy who had a regular panhandle street corner. He left the corner walking and I happened to be following him in my vehicle going the same direction. 4 blocks later, he gets into a bmw (brand new) and drives off. the kicker is, he was using a cane for the blind. folded it up, hopped in and drove off. he has been at and is still at that corner for years now in downtown kansas city...
on the flip side, years ago i worked for a pizza shop. all evening a car had been parked several blocks down with a sign, "broke down, will work for food for children". it had TX plates. We had leftover pizza at closing, and I took one to the car, with a gallon of milk and some paper cups. the man and woman cried. the kids ripped into it like they had not eaten all day. the next day, the car was still there, but the man came to the pizza store and offered to work for the pizza from the night before. the manager told him it was leftover, and not necessary. but the man went outside and cleaned the parking lot then left. later we heard a nearby church helped the family out with a new battery and gas money. a friend of mine went to that church and said about 3 months later, they received a letter from that family, with money in it to pay the church back.
So, I guess you just never know.

[ender513]

Re: Panhandling

A man was holding a "Homeless-Need-Work or Food" sign and my dad stopped and talked to the guy. Told him he needed an immediate helper for a fairly simple job that would take about 4 hours. He offered the guy $250 cash and a meal. The man refused.

That's funny, 'cause I just got off the phone with my dad talking about the same kind of thing. My dad was helping my grandma move this past weekend, and arrived to find no other helpers So he went looking for people and found four guys at basically a soup kitchen/shelter and offered them some money if they helped. My dad said they were the hardest working movers he's ever seen This is a lot coming from my dad, since he tends to look at panhandling as something lazy people do, and figures everyone should be able to work hard and make a living (regulardless of disability etc).

Personally, I tend to not give to panhandlers just because generally I don't have cash or change on me. Ocassionaly I have though, it all depends on the situation.

[baselle]

Re: Panhandling

That's funny, 'cause I just got off the phone with my dad talking about the same kind of thing. My dad was helping my grandma move this past weekend, and arrived to find no other helpers So he went looking for people and found four guys at basically a soup kitchen/shelter and offered them some money if they helped. My dad said they were the hardest working movers he's ever seen

When we moved back to Seattle 6 yrs ago and we needed to unpack a u-haul into storage, we called the Millionaires club and got three guys in the same circumstances. They were hard workers and made short work of it. We also tipped them, too.

[DivaJen]

Re: Panhandling

on the flip side, years ago i worked for a pizza shop. all evening a car had been parked several blocks down with a sign, "broke down, will work for food for children". it had TX plates. We had leftover pizza at closing, and I took one to the car, with a gallon of milk and some paper cups. the man and woman cried. the kids ripped into it like they had not eaten all day. the next day, the car was still there, but the man came to the pizza store and offered to work for the pizza from the night before. the manager told him it was leftover, and not necessary. but the man went outside and cleaned the parking lot then left. later we heard a nearby church helped the family out with a new battery and gas money. a friend of mine went to that church and said about 3 months later, they received a letter from that family, with money in it to pay the church back.
So, I guess you just never know.

Reading this brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing.

[Armywife]

Re: Panhandling

I remember once when I was going into the city (Manhattan) with a friend , I spotted a sleeping homeless person on the train holding a cup with some change in it. He wore a sign around his neck that asked for money or food. My friend had a doggie bag from lunch with half a sandwich and fries so he placed the bag next to the person and sat back in his chair. The guy woke up, looked around to see if anyone was watching, opened the bag, checked the contents, saw there was no money in there, made a face, and tossed it directly under the seat. My friend winced because he really liked the sandwich and was planning to take it to work the next day lol.. I was trying to calm him by saying.. maybe he didn't like the lunchmeat? so much for being humanitarian!

[Fern]

Re: Panhandling

yah people get pissed when u hit their cars LOL


i just left while the cops were dealing with her.her.. i really hope they took her somewhere and beat her down hard.

Do we have some unresolved anger problems??

[debtfreeme]

Re: Panhandling

i don't give to the panhandlers.

And when your people ask me, happens in front of the video store we use, i always want to say, i work two jobs more than 65 hours a week and never see my family, how much do you work?

I never do and i do make a montlhy donation to my favorite charity. Not a lot but when i process that payment I feel better about how "little" i have and how i struggle. When i think about the fact that the majority of the worlds population live on less than $3 a day including housing etc. then i know it might hurt me only a little but can help them immensely. 16 dollars can send a child to school in some parts of africa for a year. including a meal and their uniform and supplies. To me that is one dinner out. It is the least i can do.

[shengmei]

Re: Panhandling

...

In LA, during a heavy traffic jam, this panhandler who was saying swear words to people who wouldn't give him money came up to an old beatup pick up truck two cars ahead of me. The guy refused so the panhandler smacked the top of the truck and started to walk away. Out came a 300lb guy and beat the crap out of the panhandler...everyone around was in a shock. The panhandler ran off swearing that he'd be back but by this time the traffic in front of the truck had moved along so the guy got in the truck and took off...

I often dream some man would beat up the panhandler who robbed us $200.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Panhandling

I have two similar stories, DH offered a panhandler lunch (fresh form the restaurant) guy refused, somehow I don't think he was interested in food.

Mom (ages ago, I was a kid) had free coupons for a fast food place, offered them, was refused.

I figure if I have food or work or something I wouldn't mind offering, just to see how often it is refused. But as a mother, I don't feel it would be safe. Prolly would if I were single and not worried about safetly, but back when I was, I was taking the free food not offering it!

There are people who need help and who can't figure out any other way to get it, but there are sooooo many more who have great cars (yep saw plenty getting into cars 'off shift') and prolly nice houses to drive to, yet find standing on a street a better job. I don't know why I would hate it.

[mom-from-missouri]

Re: Panhandling

Yesterday I learned another view to panhandeling. I was at our local food pantry, helping sort food that I took in from my company that we collected. A family came in and refused the food. The woman said they had plenty of food that other organizations and churches had given them. She wanted cash. When questioned, seems she is a stay at home mom, with a husband that is in the hospital and has been for 3 months with a lung problem, But, she has run out of money to pay the mortgage and electric. She said several people have also given her prepaid walmart cards also that she uses for gas to go back and forth to the hospital and such. But, she made the comment when the food pantry people told her they couldn't help her with the cash, that she guessed she'd start begging. Later, I did some research. She can get help with her electric bill, only after the winter rule month goes into effect. (temp isn't low enough for it to have kicked in yet). I could find no agency that would help her with her house payment. Another worker there knew the woman from her church, and stated her story was true. She said they thought they were being helpful at church by taking up the food collection for the family-she was going to go back to the minister and ask if they could take up another collection and take it directly to the electric company or to the local bank where the woman said her mortgage was. Someone asked her if she would work-she said she would if someone could watch her 3 kids who were not in school yet-which includes a 7 month baby she is still nursing. She was driving a nice vehicle, which did have a for sale sign in the window. Several people took her name and information. I hope they get her some help. They did try to give her diapers, and she said she used cloth. Later I drove by her house in the rural, (yes, being nosy). Huge garden, clothes line with clothes on it and 2 calves that I could see, and an older tractor. Nothing was fancy--struck me as a typical frugal family. Also saw a TV antenae--no dish, and a windmill-indicating she is on well water. That is what irks me the most--its middle class working people who have the worst time getting help when they need it. Those who bum all the time have it easier getting help than those who just need it once in a while. I think that is a huge flaw in our system.