Sandy Bass Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 114 Posts
February 20, 2009
Many of us are moved to reach out to those "homeless and hungry" people by the roadside, but are reluctant to offer money because of not wanting to support drug or alcohol abuse.
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I have a friend who instead of giving out cash, keeps little snack bags in her car which she hands out to them. You can include some small toiletry items as well. Breakfast bars, snack crackers, small boxes of raisins or other dried fruit, trail mix, etc. are some suggestions.
Another idea to consider is to buy the 2 for $2 breakfast sandwiches at McDonald's and similar fast food establishments. When I have had to grab a quick breakfast on the run, I have purchased them, ate one for my own breakfast and then gave the other one to the first homeless person I saw.
In the bigger cities so many of these people spend their days in a public park. They go to the trashcans seeking leftovers from someone's picnic or lunch. Instead of stuffing your uneaten, yet still good food, into the trash can. Sit it in the bag on top of or beside the can. It will be gone before you get far.
The economic struggle we are all affected by hits these people even harder because donations are down. These ways of sharing cost us nothing but may mean the difference of eating or not to someone else.
I don't like giving money to panhandlers but sometimes want to do something. I fixed up lunch bags with a juice box, snack mix, apple, cookies, and a candy or two.
Since our big Italian family has grown in the last few years, we now hire a hall to have a Christmas celebration in December. We all make and bring our favorite foods; lasagna, meatballs, pastries, etc.
Many of us are moved to reach out to those "homeless and hungry" people by the roadside, but are reluctant to offer money because of not wanting to support drug or alcohol abuse.
