I often give a person $1, and yes I know it is often to be used for drugs or alcohol. But so what? They are going to do it anyway, and it makes them feel good. The last thing a person in those straights needs is yet another lecture. If the lectures worked, they wouldn't be there. I view it as a small act of kindness.

Good for you on lending them a helping hand for good of the community. Pan handling is legal in Illinois now and cops can't do much about it.

Absolutely not. At one time I fell for the pity ploy but seeing the same woman with the same sign about having hungry kids screamed scam. Every year we had a company holiday dinner and the company would have someone from United Way come and speak. Once the speaker asked how many gave to the street people and several partners raised their hands (maybe from feeling guilty about their status -we will give to the poor but don't ask us to allow our taxes to be raised, types). The speaker said giving is a big part of the problem. There are enough programs in the city to tend to these people (this was years ago) but many people don't want to enroll as there are rules they don't want to follow. The speaker also said if a person really wants to get out of their situation there are ways and many do just that.

In my city they stand in the street. IN THE STREET. At intersections. I don't interact with them. If I did interact with them it would be to harass them.

They're organized. In the morning, about 7:00 a.m., a van drives around and drops them off to their assigned stations. Then after dark the van comes and picks them up.

All the time. In my experiences, I've had homeless seek me for help with stalkers, authority abusers, food, shelter, etc. Many have been young under 19. Some are not in financial need but still need help and they always seek me out. It may be my plates, my look, my demeanor, whatever. They trust a woman more than a men. I give them soap, non perishables, canned goods, socks, razors, and sometimes a guest pass to my gym to shower. Just last month a woman flagged me down on her porch lamp. Her partner was abusing her and she recognized my car. I had police there in minutes. I heard it was not going to end well if I didn't send help. There were clothes all over her yard and I'm not a regular in her neighborhood, but she knew. Helped a couple who ran out of gas in CA last week, and just sat there talking to the wife who gave me her whole life story. She apologized profusely saying she had not had anyone to talk to about her woes. We hugged and departed. I help when I can and nothing more. Meals on wheels, shelter work.... Even the ones who don't seem "needy", I know the signs. Good clothes and a flashy car are often a front in that lifestyle to ward off authorities. They may be living out of the car. There's a nuance to the flags. What breaks my heart the most are running across the kids 15 and under. They're hard, crafty, and manipulative. It's harder to break them down. But it's a challenge I enjoy. Once you know you're "IN", they cave like Jenga. I run on.... Go with your gut. Give what you can and keep what your gut says to keep. That life won't change much differently on the small scale. But small things DO help. Sometimes talking like a friend who is interested does wonders. Sometimes all they want is understanding and they're relieved. I wish things were better.

I don't directly, as there are others who can do more good than me.

We don't get many panhandlers where I live, and I'm not sure why, since I see it as a noticeable problem in other places. We do have a lot of homelessness and people down on their luck, living off the kindness of others. Living without means is easy to do in a place full of loving giving people. That is likely the key. They don't beg, but they are taken care of if they are good people, simply in a sad situation. I suspect many of our homeless got a one way ticket to anywhere after being released from prison or a mental hospital, and this is where they end up.

It doesn't look good for tourists to see the homeless camps, so the police keep clearing them out and they simply move somewhere else. Rarely do you see anyone asking for anything. But people give. Small island.

We have a lot of county run services, free meal giveaways, no questions asked, but also kind people who share their extra food or buy extra specifically to share.

I live in a condo complex where most of the units are vacation rentals, so the housekeepers gather up the food left by the visitors after they leave and give a good portion of it away to folks they know are needy. Same with some of the restaurants.

We have one fellow in particular, who I'm sure is a humanist like me, but is way more charitable than I am. He owns a store in town that caters to the visitors, but he also has a section of his store that accepts donations of useful items that he will get to those who need. He knows the homeless folks by name, knows their circumstances and where they hang out. He is giving, but has his boundaries.

During the pandemic, he turned his store into a food pantry, accepting food and money to keep a large pantry for the homeless or anyone with food insecurity to pick up no questions asked. I was happy to donate food and toys.

He is such a caring person, on $5 Fridays at Safeway, he will pick up several of the huge sub sandwiches and other items for the insanely cheap prices, and will place them in the basket of his e-trike and pedal around to the homeless camps and gives the food away to anyone he knows of who is down on their luck. Like Santa Claus but every week. Some folks donate cash to his cause, and he uses it to buy tents, tarps, hammocks, and whatever the homeless are needing. Pretty sure he doesn't give cash to them. I will donate to him, as I know he will do some good with it.

We are pretty lucky here on Kauai. We even had a free medical care clinic last week, free eye exams, free dental work, and free medical checkups, no ID or insurance needed, just sign up and wait your turn. The national guard puts this on for us as part of their training. We call it Tropic Care. I took advantage of it last week.

But as for people begging? Not much of that. I see it other places though.

When I was younger, I saw a lot of beggars I thought were entitled jerks and I never gave them a thing. People that seemed sincere, sometimes. I don't get hit up as much anymore, and somehow it does not bother me as much. I see a lot more homeless that don't pester anyone, and that softens my view a bit.

Food, water, or sometimes I'll make small (quart size) hygiene bags with travel sized care items (toothpaste, toothbrush, hand sanitizer, Wet Wipes, etc). Why? Because I have empathy and know the majority of homeless have not chosen it. How do I know? I take the time to actually have a conversation with them.

I always carry cash, and I will give cash. I try not to judge anyone. I have some baggies in my car that have some personal cleansing cloths, a pair of tube sox, a $5 bill, and some other small items I used to give out to folks panhandling on the side of the road. I still have some of those in my car where I can reach them from the driver's seat. When I was near Ft. Lewis (about 28 years ago) I used to see a guy with a large sign just off the I5 exit near Ft. Lewis/Mchord AFB that was asking for money. Kid was sick and we ended up taking that exit multiple times in a month or so, I'd see the same sign held by different guys. I notice patterns, and totally identical sign. They must be organized somehow.

Food yes, money never.

I have helped pay for groceries for people when I see them taking things off the total because they only have a certain amount of money. I have also rolled my window down to put a few bucks in the hand of people at a stop light. I don’t know their life story, so I try not to judge. It makes my heart feel good to help others.

I have given food...money...clothes. I have given my last dollar at times. If I am healthy enough physically and mentally to earn a living then I have no problem lending a helping hand to someone in need. What is the most disturbing to me though is the fact that, even though we are the "wealthiest" country on the planet...we have the highest percentage of homeless. We have a HEALTH CARE system that caters to the RICH and WE ARE CONTROLLED by a Political System that is SUPPOSED to be controlled by US. This nation is on the verge of a catastrophic failure.

We are out in the country. There are no panhandlers. Here stuff gets taken. But I give money to people begging for it, and I put dollar bills into a guitar box or hat for people playing music for me.

I give to the food bank in town. They LOVE cash! There are many items that the homeless or low income need that do not get donated, with a cash donation they are able to purchase these items. At certain times the super markets will "match" in goods what the food bank gets in donations.
I do not give cash to the pan handlers.

Here in Astoria we do not have a problem that is in your face. There are plenty of homeless and one reason is the price of accommodation The house I bought twenty years ago for 4130,000 is now worth $600,000, to bad I am not rich enough to get some of that and use it. Rents are at $2000.00 a month, cheeper is possible but one has to know someone who is not just out to make a dollar. Where are the people who are supposed to keep the economy going supposed to Iive?
I do not give people money as I do not have it to give, however, on times when I see a person ahead of me in line at the supermarket and they do not have enough for the small amount of groceries they are getting I will take care of the rest.

I give money if I have it. I hate that people say, "YoU doN't KnOw whAt TheY'll UsE iT fOr!!" What they use it for is on them. If I see someone I believe to be in need, and I have money I can spare, my morals, the humanist in me, won't allow me to just keep going. I hope they'll use it for food. If they don't, then I hope they will, at some point, be able to get help with the addiction that led them to use it for something else.

I only give food, and it's usually put away in a backpack for later, and they don't seem that appreciative.

Never $$$ but I have given food. Whether or not I do in the future depends on what my gut tells me.