The nice Quiznos lady

[toolbert]

**if this is in the wrong place, please move this thanks **

Today, for lunch, I decided to procure something hot, toasty and definitly yummy from the local Quiznos by where I work. I put in my order and go to get my drink and wait for my sub. While I'm there this lady walks in and shortly after some bummy looking dude walks up to the counter asking if there's any old bread that he could possibly buy with the little bit of bummed money he had. Seeing this, the woman who just put in her order approaches the guy and asks if he'd like to have her lunch cause she could order another. He looks at her and almost starts crying his eyes out. It was really cool that she offered to get him some food as working down here I don't see this very often with the amount of bums we do get. So, here's to you nice Quiznos patron, keep up the good work. You made everyone in that store act nicer to him and he most definitly needed the pick me up.

[leaping_baby]

That's exactly what I would do too! I hate seeing bums out and about begging for money and food. I give money all the time to the ones I see begging on our roads.

[Banrion]

I will not give any of the homeless who panhandle on the street cash of any form. Maybe it's mean, but I am not supporting anyone's drug/alcohol addiction. About once or twice a week I will bring a whole box of breakfast bars, and hand em out while I walk to work. This has only furthered my no cash policy though. There are several who are thankful, and take the food politely and graciously. Then there are the ones who will spit in your face, and tell you that if you don't give em cash, they don't want anything.

[Seanette]

I will not give any of the homeless who panhandle on the street cash of any form. Maybe it's mean, but I am not supporting anyone's drug/alcohol addiction. About once or twice a week I will bring a whole box of breakfast bars, and hand em out while I walk to work. This has only furthered my no cash policy though. There are several who are thankful, and take the food politely and graciously. Then there are the ones who will spit in your face, and tell you that if you don't give em cash, they don't want anything.

Sounds like what happened to a friend of mine. She, my husband, and I were headed over to Oakland and stopped for gas (friend was driving). I went into the gas station mini-mart for beverages, came out and heard the story from my husband. A panhandler had had a sign claiming she needed money for food (said woman was obviously rather underweight), so our friend gave the panhandler some food that she had handy. Panhandler's husband/boyfriend gets in our friend's face yelling at her about how worthless it was to give food and that they wanted CASH. My husband was able to get the guy to back off, fortunately.

I share your policy of *refusing* to give cash to panhandlers, and for the same reason. I do not consider enabling someone to buy booze/drugs if said chemicals have already demolished that person's life to the point that the "victim" (who did make the choice to start using) is reduced to begging from strangers to be in any way doing that person any *real* good.

Last job, one regular at a major train stop I used irritated the *beep* out of me. He'd claim he needed money for lunch, with a lunch bag in his hand. He'd claim he needed money for transit fare, with a monthly pass hanging around his neck. Times I saw anyone give him money, he'd either scurry right off to Starbucks for some overpriced concoction (or he'd have one in his hand while claiming to be broke) or scurry right off to the mini-mart for scratch-off lottery tickets. Excuse me? I don't buy those things for myself, why should I give up what cash I have that I *earned* by *working* so I can buy those very non-essential frivolous luxuries for you? This same bozo even once tried to hit up a blind friend of mine for money, right after I had seen said panhandler counting more cash in his wallet than I myself was carrying (I did very pointedly mention the cash-counting to said blind friend).

I do my charitable giving through organizations, to avoid winding up with my money going to someone's booze or drugs.

[powerboy]

Yeah, I don't give as much as I should. But that is because of what happened one time. This one panhandler, came up asking for a little bit of money. So I did give him, about $3, next thing, I saw him get into a newer car than mine , and drive off. That was the last time.

[heather124]

I saw a report on TV once where they followed some of the people who were on the streets begging for money and at night they'd go home to a big beautiful house with a wife and kids. They didn't work, they just spent their day on the streets begging for money and were bringing in hundreds of dollars a day!

[BrightEyedKitty]

In Stephen King's Hearts in Atlantis, one of the characters was doing that very thing.

I fond myself wondering at the time how common that was...

[Dreamstalker]

That is absolutely awesome, toolbert. The world needs more people like her

I used to know someone who would panhandle in Harvard Square in the summers (he even had an "outfit" for it to look the part). Not sure how much he brought in, but during tourist season it was bound to be a good deal.

I know one or two homeless people who I will give money to; one pleasant and funny guy on Newbury St. and a Spare Change paper vendor here in town who I've known since I was about 12 (if I'm on my way back from the Asian grocery, I'll give him some food).

[Kyree]

One day when my mother and I were getting off the freeway near our house, I saw this man sitting near the curb, with two husky dogs. it was the middle of winter and the three of them were kinda huddled together. The man had a sign that said something like "I don't care about myself, I need food or a good home for my dogs." It made me sad..and It also made me remember a story I had read in one of those chicken Soup books. My mom wouldn't stop for him. Once I got home I ran back out there (It was only a couple blocks away, and he was right beside a shopping center.), and offered to go with him to buy his dogs food, since I couldn't take them home, and a meal for him.

I agree with the "no handing cash out" thing, but for someone that was so selfless (He even tried to refuse the food for himself, saying he just wanted his dogs to be okay.), I couldn't help myself. I wanted to bring all three of them home with me

[Sacknahalf05]

Props to all of you that don't turn your nose up at the less fortunate. Reminds me of something that happened just a few weeks ago....

I have a gas station near my house that I stop at regularly on my way into work in the mornings. The night shift guy would usually still be there that early in the morning, rocking out to some Metallica or some other awesome music. We'd have a short conversation while he rang up my purchases. Really nice guy. Then I stopped seeing him in the store. I figured "it's a gas station, people come and go all the time". Imagine my surprise when just a few weeks later I answer my door and he's there, going door-to-door trying to sell his watch. He looked rough and from what he said, hadn't eaten in a few days. Well, I didn't have any cash on me, but I had just done some grocery shopping the day before, so I boxed up about a week's worth of bread, peanut butter, rice, cereal bars, lunchmeat, etc and had my SO help him carry it across the street to his apartment.

I felt like he had been so nice to me while ringing me up in the store, it was the least I could do to help.

[Kiwi]

There are a group of "homeless" on Robson street in Van, who have their territory staked out and take shifts on the street corners.They arnt homeless, and they dont need the money, there pretty well known, and still take home over $100 tax free a day...needless to say, none of the people I worked with in Van ever gave money to them.

I give money, to registered charities, food banks, soup kitchens, salvation army. Not to homeless on the street.

[DesignFox]

I agree. Props to the lady who bought the guy a sandwich!

I, like many of you, do not give money to homeless on the street. I will give food if I have some. I always donate to all sorts of charities, and I will donate food to shelters. Shelters exist for a reason- no one really *needs* to be sitting on the corner.

The only rare exception to my cash rule is if I see a particularly talented musician playing on the streets. At least they are doing something...not just sitting around with a begging cup.