If Someone Asked You For $10 At A Gas Station, Would You Give It?

Years ago, I was servicing one of my accounts one day and a 30-ish man approached me in the parking lot. He said he was hitchhiking north to see his mother and had come off the interstate to get something to eat. He said he needed 57 cents more to get a Big Mac and a Coke.

I was hungry myself, so I said, OK, let's go over there and I'll buy you lunch.

I bought him a Big Mac meal and we sat, ate and chatted. He was a very interesting person, pretty clean cut, said he had "lost his way" but had stopped drinking and was heading home for a new start.

I'm not usually inclined to give money to panhandlers but I had a good feeling about him. I fished around in my purse and found a $20 (which was two hours pay for me in those days) and gave it to him. He thanked me profusely and kissed my hand.

I wished him good luck and he headed back to the highway on-ramp. I have thought about him occasionally in the years past and hope he made it home and restarted his life.

But, no, I don't give money any more to panhandlers. The ones in my area are professionals. Quite a few of them get dropped off and picked up by a van. The others all seem to have nice bicycles.

 

Well, there's this guy down at the corner with his "Who am I kidding, I need a beer" sign. I always give him money because I understand needing a beer.

 

They certainly are. They can't go to a shelter because shelters don't allow drugs or alcohol.
I've seen them trading off dogs & children to each other to get more money. Many of them clear more money than working people. You Tube has many videos of them getting into their Mercedes SUV's after their "shift." Hilarious when they're confronted.

 

The last time I gave someone who asked at a gas station. No loitering sign clearly present in the window. I was opening the door to leave and heard one young boy say don't asked she's not going to and stopped mid sentence. The other young boy asked and I gave him a couple of dollars from the change I had. He was so thankful with a big smile on his face. That made me feel good. He had faith is what his smile said to me. Another time a woman came to my door with a reference from someone else in the neighborhood that I knew. She had me standing there listening that I had to interrupt her. She needed $15 dollars for bus fare until she got paid and would pay me back. I gave her $10. She came back I thought to pay me but she had a whole different story asking me for money. Never mentioned borrowing from me before. I turned her away.

 

I was once in a supermarket and the lady in front of me at the check-out didn't have enough to pay for her groceries. I paid the difference. It was only a small amount but in this case, I knew she was genuine.