You ever do something like this? What's your story?

ThePowerOfGeek

You ever do something like this? What's your story?

The post text literally asks for stories.

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Similar experience. A homeless guy ambushed me at the drive thru asking for money to buy a burger. I told him I'd buy him a combo and he said no, only cash. I gave him the money because I honestly don't care how he spends it, but why ask for a burger at a Burger King of all places if you don't actually want a burger? Now I'm stuck pretending like I'm some gullible idiot to spare him his dignity when he could have just asked for money.

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Meaning he probably wasn't homeless and was just a beggar. I've seen plenty of those sorts in my hometown.

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I was getting Carl's Jr and a dude hanging around there stopped me and asked if he could have some food. So I bought a couple meals and the person at the drive-thru window asked if he had bothered me. I said no and handed the homeless guy his food before I drove away. He was appreciative and said thank you. I guess you just never know... ‍️

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A friend of mine packs backpacks full of blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, etc. and goes around handing them to homeless people around Christmas.

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I don’t know what I said in my reply that made you think I wanted another of these useless stories.

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Sitting outside of a club waiting for friends. It’s late and a guy comes up and asks if I’m ok, if I need an ambulance or something. I must have looked rough. Dude saw that I was just on my phone and apologized before taking off, saying he was just making sure I wasn’t passing out or OD’ing

Not much later I’m walking to meet up with other friends for an after party and see the guy setting up on some cardboard.

I stop and ask him what his deal was, he wasn’t strung out like other homeless around. He told me his story. I said I was headed to Denny’s and would buy him dinner if he wanted.

When we got there he said thanks but he didn’t want to bother my gathering and was going to decline. So I hand him a few hundred bucks that was my party cash. He initially declined but I insisted, because he was humble, genuinely concerned about my drink add, and obviously was going to get himself out of his situation with only a little help and some luck.

I’ve interacted with a number of homeless and never really met another person like that since. I’m sure they are out there, teetering on really hard times.

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There was this dude, Tyler, at my local Skate park who got kicked out by his baby mama and was sleeping in the park, under shelter. We'd bring homie a ton of taco bell tacos whenever we'd go to the skatepark, and offer him rides wherever he wanted.

Homie would complain when we got cheese in the tacos, demand rides, and get a lil violent about us skating too late. Dude became an asshole, maybe baby mama was right to kick him out.

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It happens.

Here's a happier tale to balance the vibe.

When traveling with my family, we often stop for a light meal midway to break up the monotony of the trip.

One time we stopped at a place we don't care for the food, and bought a particularly light meal to settle our stomachs for the remaining minutes on the way to our favorite food stop.

Toward the end of our quick stop, a stranger offered my oldest an unopened burger from his own meal that he wasn't going to finish.

I think he probably noticed our order was on the small side and maybe worried whether my oldest got enough to eat.

My kid was fine, of course, he got as much as he wanted and knew we were stopping soon somewhere he liked better.

But that guy's compassion stuck with me.

So now there's a line item in my budget for donations to a local food shelter. My intent is to always maintain that recurring donation, in honor of that guy's compassion.

Clay_pidgin

That's very sweet of you.

Clay_pidgin

When I was a teenager I used to hang out with the beggars at the major train station in town when I was travelling around to kill time. I bought hot dogs from the cart for a few of them and they thanked me and ate with me, but said they had plenty to eat. Apparently they rented an apartment together in cash with the proceeds of their begging. They weren't living large, they just didn't want to or couldn't work a regular job. I don't regret spending time with them and hearing their stories, and they wouldn't take my money because I was just a kid.

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Most soup kitchens will take packs of socks, sleeping bags, tampons, dog food/etc and make care packages for people that come in.

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Yes, I've painted bicycles a few times. The first one, a '90s rigid MTB I was building up to be my "daily driver" utility bike, I took the frame to be professionally powder coated, which obviously worked great. The second one, a tandem, I spray-painted myself, which also worked fine but I haven't really ridden it so can't speak to the durability over time. Most recently, I tried spraying a frame with plasti-dip because I wanted it to be removable, but it turned out a little too removable: it didn't hold up to being clamped in my work stand, so now I've got to re-do that tube.

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In my city the homeless run a newspaper. Good on-the-street reporting and homeless people can also sell the paper to get money.

Anyways, got to talking to a paper-seller. His story was rough; had a job, a house… and then a major medical event that took his house and all of his savings away in bills. His job fired him for ‘poor attendance’. At least the people at the paper were helping him get back on his feet.

Bought his last few papers so he could go home, but figured he was probably cold and hungry after standing around all day, so I bought him dinner and some new warm socks too.

Hope that guy is doing all right.

Chainweasel

There was a guy outside of Taco Bell in Columbus Ohio who was begging for money so he could get himself a burrito.
So I went inside and bought the man several burritos and soft tacos and a large drink. I walked back out and handed it to him, and he promptly threw it straight in the trash and looked in the eye and reminded me that he had asked for money.

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I semi-routinely get food for beggars. Gift cards, even. I don't carry cash, but if someone says they're trying to get enough money for food, I offer to just buy them what they need. They almost always say yes, and, especially in winter, you can tell it means a lot, at least in the moment.

On my first payday, post graduation, I did this for some kid who seemed clean by really skinny. He picked out frozen chicken nuggets, and seemed just so happy and grateful. That's stuck with me.

Owl

I don't get it

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I'm not upset at your story, I'm upset at you being judgemental toward unhoused persons. There are a lot of people out there when an unhoused person asks for money just refuse to give it because they think they are going by drugs with it (which, yeah, they might), so many unhoused persons have to resort to giving an excuse they think you might be responsive to. You have no idea what they need the money for. Maybe its to get a cheap phone so thry haveva way to contact someone if thry need help. Msybe they need a hair cut for a job interview. Maybe its for drugs. The thing is, you should give a person the help they ask for and not what you think they need, in my opinion. You are not their parent and what they do with what they ask for is not your business.