do you ignore beggars?

Question

or do you mostly give to them, if they have a puppy i just have to give.

Answer 1

I always give to beggars, if they have a puppy or dog with them I give a bit more, no one in this day and age should be on the streets having to beg, its just sad and more so at this time of year.

Answer 2

Well, I always give them a buck or two, to be honest...They are someone's father or brother, they deserve a little something to get by... I once saw a beggar in Redding, Ca. with a sign that said..." Why lie, I need a beer " I gave him $5, I can relate, and I know, it is wrong to enable them, but I don't really think they are going to stop at that point... At least he would be happy for a while...

Answer 3

I give when I can. I helped to start a soup kitchen for the poor at a Catholic church over 25 years ago. The priest had a heart of gold.
We could only serve one day a week at the beginning, and had a modest amount of food to provide. Within two years, we were open three days a week, all churches were participating (non-denominational), Baptist, Lutheran, Protestant, all. We provided bread, clothing, counseling, milk, eggs, you name it. It felt good to help. Many times I went outside and coaxed a father to come in and eat with his wife and children. (Sometimes pride is the hardest to swallow). The priest has since died, I have moved on, but the Kitchen for the Poor continues and is thriving.

Thank you for this question at this time of the year. I hope all will remember those less fortunate. Merry Christmas.

Answer 4

I only give food to beggars not money, in case they happen to struggle with substance-abuse problem. If I want to give money, I'd give it to the shelters/ soup kitchen organizations, not directly to the homeless persons.
When travelling to some countries, it's important not to give money to beggars. Children beggars in some countries are organized under gangsters, giving them money would encourage the gangsters to kidnap more children. In this case, sometimes there are NGOs you can give money to, they have better means to help these children-beggars.

Answer 5

Beggars exist because measures to prevent beggars from happening are not working. Maybe someone would like to ask on yahoo answers on how to prevent people from becoming beggars.

Answer 6

If the begger is just sitting down and being quiet, just smiling, I would put some coins into thier hat/cup. But I ignore the beggers that are wakling around and begging nonstop.

A friend of mine made the mistake of giving a wandering begger change and he refused to leave her alone. She was followed till she saw a police officer on break at an outdoor coffee shop and walked to him. She said it was very scary and she no longer walks that area anymore alone.

You have to be very careful with beggers... I find the quiet ones safe cause they are just minding thier own buiness... its more of a "give me coins if you want" thing.

Answer 7

Since my cousin was murdered living on the streets a year ago, I see them totally different. They are PEOPLE! They are not beggars, tramps, bums, etc. They are PEOPLE who most likely have family members who love them. They have illnesses and diseases (alcohol, drug addictions, etc.) that keep them on the streets. I always give them something if approached! They are PEOPLE afterall.

Answer 8

Never! They are human beings. Ignorant people ignore beggars.
If you don't want to give them money, at least be polite enough to give them the time of day.

Answer 9

I give to them, then I run out of money; but there is a local paper that looked at all the homeless on holidays and how much they got, and they are doing very well, better then me.

Answer 10

I live in a large metro area and am frequently approached by "panhandlers." I never give them money - there are a lot of resources nearby that they can utilize. I generally just tell them no as politely as I can (sometimes I'm more polite than others), and keep walking.