Do you give to panhandlers?

[madamesilverspurs]

56. When I can, sure.

And I have never once demanded that they pee in a bottle first. I've been poor, and the sad reality is that we make it damned hard to ask for help. Case in point, a few years back I was working the front desk at the food bank, and a woman came in clearly upset and wiping tears off her cheeks. She asked if this is where to ask for food, I answered in the affirmative. Then she said, "You're not going to yell at me like they did at Social Services?" Before I could answer, our director came out of her office having heard the exhange, and she threw her arms around the woman and said "Of course not, that's not why we're here." Then she took the woman by the hand and walked her through the process, telling her we'd be here as long as she needed us. I'm no saint, but long story short, I'd just rather be kind.


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