Fill a Shoebox and Help Feed the Homeless

You pull to the corner and there's a guy a little dirty and tired looking standing there with a sign. You double check to make sure your doors are locked and try not to make any eye contact. Then your child asks mommy why didn't you give that homeless man some money? You quickly think of a nice way to explain to your child that more then likely the money you give will be used on booze or drugs and you don't want to take the chance. Besides you rationalize I give at the foodbank, Salvation Army and Red Cross. Yet, a part of you feels a little guilty. Your just finished eating at McDonald's and wish you still had that burger and fries to give to the guy.

No one wants to enable someone to continue an addiction. So you drive off without giving him a dime. The next time you see someone panhandling you wonder again should you shouldn't you. In your heart you know it could be you or someone you know. Most of us are just a few paychecks or a severe illness away from being the one on the street without the help of a loving family. Maybe this guy is a Veteran, or maybe she's mentally ill and not just a bum looking for a handout. While waiting for the light to change you ponder and ask yourself what to do. Yet, when the light changes no decision made you drive off.

Maybe you heard the urban legends about the rich guy who got rich by panhandling in Manhattan. After working hard all day on a busy street he goes around the corner and gets in his Mercedes.

A lady I went to church with shared a wonderful idea to help feed the homeless. She got the idea from her young son who just couldn't get over someone begging for food. Her concern was that she didn't want to give the person money for drugs or alcohol yet her conscious; her son and her Christian upbringing wouldn't let her continually do nothing.