Get your stories straight!

[Dasota]

I miss Flips... He was a guy that we KNEW was using the money he was getting to by booze, but was saying he needed it for the "Sheltah" But the cool thing about Flips was if you give him a dollar he'd do a back flip.

He wasn't around all winter and not it's Summer and he's still not around...

Hopefully he was able to build a mansion out of all his booze/beer bottles.

There are some days I wish i could get away with being a beggar. More and more I see are livin a better life than me scraping away at my job.

[Iced Coffee Man]

When I was in Melbourne a guy asked me for spare change. I continued walking but tossed a 20c coin from my pocket. He proceeded to hurl insults at me. What a nice fellow.

[Andara Bledin]

The funniest one had to be the begger in Chicago who was doing the food beg deal. In front of a liquor store. With a McDonald's across the street.

Likely, he was kicked off of the McD's property. They can be pretty aggressive about pushy beggars annoying their customers. Then again, there's a very good chance he wanted a "liquid lunch," too.

There have been several times that someone has said they needed money for the bus so I've handed over a bus token (not redeemable for cash) or a day pass that I no longer needed.

I've done the bus token thing, too. I love when they refuse and I get to call them out on being freaking liars to their face and in front of all the other potential marks.

^-.-^

[tollbaby]

I'll never forget the summer I lived on the streets... (long story as to how I got there). I was 18, and I had dropped out of school because I left home and needed to work. So I tried to do the whole alternative high school thing where you go to class once a week and work on your own the rest of the time. I was hanging out in the doorway of an closed down bar with a friend of mine who was panning. I was sitting there, minding my own business, trying to wrap my head around my math homework when a woman came out of the restaurant next door with a pizza box in her hand. She ignored my friend and came up to me, and said, "I just wanted to give you this, because you're not begging, and because you're trying to do something with your life."

Total shock! I had never panhandled in my life and had no intentions to start. But I'll admit I was damn grateful for the pizza (as were the six or seven friends I shared it with).

[Kogarashi]

Our city has a program where you can buy vouchers at certain stores for $.25 apiece to give to the panhandlers instead of actual money. The vouchers have no cash value, but can be redeemed for food, shelter, and bus tokens at certain locations. Like giving out half-used bus tokens and food rather than money, it helps to weed out the ones who actually need it.

[Magpie]

Giving bus tokens isn't really any different than giving cash. I know that in Toronto you'd be able to get 75% of their face value fairly easily.

[Treasure]

I don't usually give money, there's too many beggars, like 3 of them at the major intersection by my house; but occasionally, if their signs are amusing enough, i'll give a buck... they made me laugh, they earned it,same as a comedian or act that i'd tip that same $1 @ a RenFaire... But what i truly hate is when I'm at a light, my window is only opened about an inch, my music is BLASTING, and the charity folks (not regular panhandlers, but people working for a charity!) come up and try to talk to me over my music through my window.... when i haven't even made eye contact! I have even turned my music UP as a deterrent, but to no avail.


One night, after leaving the club, walking back to the car, a panhandler approached my group, offered to wash the windows on my car... i said no thank you (and was thinking in my head, that the windows would be worse after he was done) but my sister, offered to buy him food over at the wendy's across the street, and he tried to turn us down, b/c he wanted to earn his money, so my sister pulled out a couple of $1's and told him that he was at least trying, and so she felt he deserved food.. he was actually very grateful, i think he actually bowed in thanks...


I think one of the signs i've seen around here reads something like "Smile, you could be me!"

The paper has also run a couple of articles, at different times, in different sections, about the begging problem here, but one that amused me, was the one about the guy who makes up signs that read stuff like "Need money to buy fuel for my leer jet" and stuff like that... it was cute... many years old, i doubt its even available in archives

[Rapscallion]

Our city has a program where you can buy vouchers at certain stores for $.25 apiece to give to the panhandlers instead of actual money. The vouchers have no cash value, but can be redeemed for food, shelter, and bus tokens at certain locations. Like giving out half-used bus tokens and food rather than money, it helps to weed out the ones who actually need it.

*blink*

Excellent idea!

Rapscallion

[Severen13]

I don't give money to panhandlers anymore. I got a little tired of being nice enough to hand over a dollar to begin with, only to have them whine "Is that all you haaaaave?", like I was suddenly their personal ATM machine.

[Sheldonrs]

If I've got it and don't need it and someone needs it and doesn't have it, I give it.

I don't care if they buy booze, drugs or lottery tickets with it. I'll never know for sure but at least I know there's a chance they are legit about the need and it makes me feel good. Kind of like the instant gratification an actor in a play gets from the audience.