But For The Grace Of God Go I

The blessing is in the gift. What they choose to do with the gift is up to them. I usually give, if I have it or buy food. There are con artists out there, but there are more needy people. Who am I to decide which is which?

Mandy W.

FourAgainstTwo.com

I always say a prayer. Sometimes I give money if I have it on hand in a pocket but I don't want to endanger myself in the car by reaching for money. If I was more organized, like I have been in my past, I would make zip lock bags with travel size toothpaste, a toothbrush and $2.00 in quarters with phone numbers with the local homeless shelters.

Patty

It's completely understandable to question when you see people on the street begging. You wonder what they did wrong. Maybe nothing. Maybe they did everything right and they still couldn't hold that job/house/what ever that got them to the street.

My husband and I have found in our travels that San Francisco is the worst. We can not stand walking the streets there because we get too emotional over all the homeless. We usually go into the closest deli and buy sandwiches and hand them out. That makes us feel a little better than just throwing our spare change at them. These people need respect. They are just as human and fragile as any of us.

Let's face it, a few mortgage payments missed and we all could be there. Look at how screwed up the banks are now a days. Foreclosing left and right, justified or not. It's just not right that we live in a society that is the richest, and we have such poor and hungry, in our own country.

I always give when I can - if a person is begging you can pretty much guess their life sucks, self inflicted or otherwise. We shouldn't judge and I've found it always comes back to me tenfold.

Sometimes I think one of the reasons that discourse in our society has become so mean is that so many people don't realize that phrase applies to them, that they could just as easily be in that person's shoes.

But I don't usually give them change ... I usually give it to a charity instead.

ADKing, I saw a picture of a man holding a sign that said, "Bet you can't hit this sign with a quarter!" Funny, but sad at the same time.

i completely understand what you're saying. There was a country song that ALWAYS plays through my head when i see someone standing on a corner and the lyrics went something like this, "maybe he's an angel, sent here from Heaven.... makin' certain that you're doin your best, to take the time, to help one another. tell me, are you gonna pass that test? "

and i always tell myself, "if i KNEW for certain that they needed help, that they truly needed help and this wasn't their job, i'd help them." and that probably isn't the right way to think, but i've watched undercover stories where those people get out there and stand on a corner with a sign and make MORE money than those working full time jobs!!! now that's just insane!!!

if i were to stand on a corner, my sign would say "i bet you a dollar you're reading this sign.'