Cold Hard Cash

OK, I'm going to be honest here. You've probably already guessed that the guy holding the sign wants cold hard cash and not food. Yet time and time again people give out food. Let me tell you why that's not such a good idea.

Most homeless people aren't starving. The only homeless people that are going hungry are the ones that aren't resourceful enough to find food. If a guy is holding a sign he's probably pretty resourceful.

There is food everywhere. People hand it out in parks, in soup kitchens, in churches, almost anywhere. Sometimes it isn't easy to get food but if you are hungry enough it can be found. You might have to hop on a bus or make it to a church by a certain time but food is plentiful.

When I'm panhandling I can't tell you how often people will give me food. A little bit of food is OK but sometimes people will give me so much stuff I can't even carry it all and if a few people give me food it always works out that even more people will give me food. It gets to a point where I carry a big backpack just to carry all the food and even that isn't big enough!

I try to never do it unless I have to, but most panhandlers I know will just throw the food in the bushes. The food is nothing more than a burden to them. If it is a really good food they might share it but most of the time it will just pile up with all the other liter on the sidewalk and in the bushes. The only times I  do this is when I don't have a choice, I have no way of carrying the extra food and I can't find anyone to give it way to.

If you really must give food instead of money try gift certificates. I know for me those will get used and I could easily carry them and use them later on when I get hungry. McDonald's gift certificates work great because there's a McDonald's on every corner and it's cheap. It's not the healthiest of options but it's better than your food going to waste.

I always like bottled water as long as it is cold. Not to be picky but when it's 100 degrees outside and someone hands me a bottle of water out of their trunk I have to roll my eyes. At least make sure the water is suitable for drinking!

I also don't want your half-eaten leftovers from the restaurant you just got done eating at. Sorry, but I don't know what diseases you have or what someone may have put in it. I'm never so hungry that I'm going to eat your half-eaten cheeseburger!

The same can be said for the little baggies of toiletries and goodies that people make up for the homeless. These are great at first but I must of collected 30 razors, 50 pairs of socks, countless sticks of deodorant, and a million toothbrushes. At some point I just have to throw that little baggie away and I feel bad about that.