Panhandlers

Morrigoon · 11-09-2011, 11:27 PM

Because you really can't tell who's who, and unless you have unlimited means, you can't just give to everybody, I have a rule about who I give to - street entertainers.

They don't necessarily have to be any good, for example at the Tampa offramp from the 118 there used to be a guy with a clarinet... probably had no clue how to work the thing, but we found his godawful blatting so entertaining that as far as I was concerned, he had earned my dollar. This also goes for the occasional really awesome sign (but they'd better be really creative). One guy was near my current offramp in the last year or two with a sign that said "My Lear Jet ran out of fuel" and signed it "Hobo John". He got my dollar.

RStar · 11-10-2011, 01:20 AM

My brother lives off of his social security dissability, which only gets him through about 3 weeks of food, motel, and his HIV meds. I do what I can, but he is often living on the streets with hardly 10 cents in his pocket. He will use shelters and soup kitchens, but with doctor appointments and hospital trips he can miss the deadline (some require you to check in by 2pm for a place to sleep!). He has no teeth, is 6 ft tall, and is hardly 140 lbs.

He has told me of the generosity of strangers on the street. At least one took him to a motel and paid for the night. Many have given $10 or $20 dollar bills. And at the end of the month, I'm lucky to be able to give him $20-40. So I'm very thankfull to those people who have helped him.

I'll give someone who looks like he is in the kind of condition my brother is in some change, but I save what I can for him. And those guys in the white coats or with tables set up in front of the store- I have no idea where that money goes, so I normally don't give to them.

BarTopDancer · 11-10-2011, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RStar

And those guys in the white coats or with tables set up in front of the store- I have no idea where that money goes, so I normally don't give to them.

I never give to people outside the store. Unless they are girl scouts with cookies. Or the time right after the earthquake and tsunami there was troop of Japanese Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with a boatload of parents and a huge Japanese flag selling lemonade to raise money to go to Japan. I have no idea if the money actually went there but I sure hope it did.

11-09-2011, 11:27 PM	#1
Morrigoon I throw stones at houses Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Location: Location Posts: 9,534	Because you really can't tell who's who, and unless you have unlimited means, you can't just give to everybody, I have a rule about who I give to - street entertainers. They don't necessarily have to be any good, for example at the Tampa offramp from the 118 there used to be a guy with a clarinet... probably had no clue how to work the thing, but we found his godawful blatting so entertaining that as far as I was concerned, he had earned my dollar. This also goes for the occasional really awesome sign (but they'd better be really creative). One guy was near my current offramp in the last year or two with a sign that said "My Lear Jet ran out of fuel" and signed it "Hobo John". He got my dollar. __________________ http://bash.org/?top "It is useless for sheep to pass a resolution in favor of vegetarianism while wolves remain of a different opinion." -- William Randolph Inge
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11-10-2011, 01:20 AM	#2
RStar Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Me & Manyard hangin out! Posts: 5,433	My brother lives off of his social security dissability, which only gets him through about 3 weeks of food, motel, and his HIV meds. I do what I can, but he is often living on the streets with hardly 10 cents in his pocket. He will use shelters and soup kitchens, but with doctor appointments and hospital trips he can miss the deadline (some require you to check in by 2pm for a place to sleep!). He has no teeth, is 6 ft tall, and is hardly 140 lbs. He has told me of the generosity of strangers on the street. At least one took him to a motel and paid for the night. Many have given $10 or $20 dollar bills. And at the end of the month, I'm lucky to be able to give him $20-40. So I'm very thankfull to those people who have helped him. I'll give someone who looks like he is in the kind of condition my brother is in some change, but I save what I can for him. And those guys in the white coats or with tables set up in front of the store- I have no idea where that money goes, so I normally don't give to them. __________________ Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup! www.StarTownGifts.com
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