Do you give alms to beggars and other people asking for it

i only give to people i know are war veterans for real.it's shameful they're homeless to begin with. we have quite a few people in town who just don't want to work.they make more money begging than they do working,so they don't.i saw one guy doing it all day in the park,then drive away in a new truck parked around the corner.

Yeah i see lots of beggars roaming around asking for money. They are everywhere. I don't like to give them money as i think they should take up some jobs and earn for themselves. Some are fake and pretend to be helpless. Instead i give them food or my old clothes. ~pinks~

Well, here in our area we have people that you will always see out there with their signs. Sometimes they have a shopping cart with them as well. But the problem is when you see them get out of a nice vehicle, etc. and then hear some of them make more $$ than a lot of working people do, and you begin to wonder how. Back about 12 yrs. ago or so, I knew someone who had paid for a $45,000 Condo just by soliciting people on the streets, and paid it off in like 10 yrs. He even drove a nice car. He lived just down from me in the Condo I was renting. So no, it is up to each person. But unless I really know a person is telling the Truth and really down on their luck, I usually will not help them, and if I do, why not get them something from the Dollar menu at most instead of $$, and then you do not have to worry what your money is really being spent on.

well yes there are many beggars in our place roaming about in the streets and asking for food and money.I think the best thing we can do is to offer them work rather than giving them money.I give food to the handicapped beggars who have the difficulty in moving around with their handicapness.

hello bagumbayan, yeah, i give alms to beggars but randomly. the following are the factors: 1. if the beggar is physically qualifed to be given, meaning he is not physically capable of doing any work 2. if the beggar is really really old and poor physically 3. if i have enough money in my pocket 4. if they are not that abusive... paying forward, digerati

..for me, it depends on the beggar who is begging.. I mean, I give alms to beggars who are doing something in order to earn such as singing, massaging and other activities.. atleast I could see that they have the initiative to exert effort for their survival.. but for those who are just begging in the street and anywhere else, I don't see any reason why I should give alms to them.. As the saying goes, 'give someone a fish and he live for a day but teach someone how to fish and he lives for years'...

i try to give to those whom i think needs to be given. when someone asks and then i think they do not really need it and can actually have his/her own money i dont give it cause i am only teaching them to be lazy and just wait for people to give them money.

yes alot of beggars are actually in the streets, in our place you'll see alot of them wandering of the side streets of market, churches, schools and anywhere. i give help to some of them especially on old ladies but never on people who has a big body and can work for his living but just too lazy to even stretch their muscles.

I have two responses to this, and they both lead to the same answer. First off- I once went into a Taco Bell to purchase some lunch for myself and I bought a couple of extra tacos for the guy and his dog that were sitting by the exit with their big sign that said something close to 'will work for food, anything helps, God bless'. As I was leaving the lot heading across the street for some gas, I handed the bag of extra food to him with a big smile. While I was getting my gas, I observed him walk over to the garbage can and dispose of the bag I'd just given him. He headed away from the parking lot, so I drove back through it when I was done getting gas, and watched him and his dog get into a fairly newer Ford pick-up. That was the last time I just handed anything out. My second point- I once read somewhere that 'homeless' beggars make (on average in a large city) $2-300 a day! Tax free!! That could be around $9,000 a month!!! I'm sure this is true in large cities in the prime area, and it's these people who make it difficult for the ones who are really suffering. There are shelters and jobs programs available to those who want to get out of their rut, but why would they?? They make better, easier money begging, and they have no schedule or boss or taxes. I do, however, put my money in the bucket for the Salvation Army at Christmas time, and I donate my kids old clothes and toys(as long as they are in good condition), and my kids donate to their church, and we do fundraising for the community and school. If I see a good cause, I donate where I can. One more quick thing. Last summer I witnessed a lady sitting at an intersection, on the median between the lanes, in the sun with a little girl about 3 years old!! Being a mom and a concerned person, I wanted to jump out of my car, slap the lady, grab the kid and take her to McDonald's for a Happy Meal. How dare she subject that baby to all the harm that could befall her, not to mention using her as a pawn in her mother's game of begging. What is she teaching her?? I wanted to call a cop & social services, but of course, I didn't. Now I get to sit here and complain to you. Thanks for letting me vent on this issue.

Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I do. But usually when a poor little kid say 5 years old ask me for alms, i ask him where are his parents.

Normally i give money to very old people who are begging. At there age until and unless there is no other way,they will not beg so there is high probability that they are real distressed people and need help.

Hello,bagumbayan! No, I don't have any sympathy for the beggars moving in the streets or near the gates of temples,churches or mosques because they are quite capable of earning money by other means.instead they sit idle and beg alms.besides,my government have made provisions for them to get allowances every month in shape of case or in kinds.so why should i support these useless lazy people.thanks.

I stopped giving money as alms when I was in college in U.P because most of them have parents at home near our campus.When you give to one, many will come back next time.I give food, instead that they will share.i will give with some kind of sermon that they should ask their parents to work and not them to work for them. Besides, I better give charity to sick people who have cancers

I live near Syracuse, NY, USA. There are hundreds of homeless people living downtown, although you hardly see most of them. Many of them live this way by choice, as it is a simpler life for them. There was actually an article published in the newspaper about them. I don't understand why they would choose this life, but it is their life and their choice, not mine. There are of course, many who stand on street corners holding signs, asking for money. The signs will say things like "Veteran, Disabled, God Bless". I see many people stop and give them money. My mother once told me a story. She was working downtown at the time, and one of the so called homeless men came in to her company's building. He unloaded his pockets full of change and began counting it. She guessed he had probably $100 worth of change and dollar bills. So the guy stands on a corner all day, in dirty clothes, holding a sign and makes $100 a day, while the rest of us work our fingers to the bone and can only hope we make near that much after taxes and other fees. So, in answer to your question. No, I do not usually take pity on the homeless. I don't wish to be scammed by someone only pretending to be homeless. If they truly are homeless and did not choose that life, then I do pity them and would give them money, but I cannot tell the difference between a scam artist and a truly unfortunate soul.

some times we feel a lot for these hopeless beggars but at the same time we sometimes get faked by some who pose as beggars. we should do somethings to handle them. we can give food or eatables to the handicapped and the really old ones. But, at the same time we should look out for some beggars posing as handicapped ones. They trade crutches with fellow beggars and go around begging. omen beggars with a small malnourished baby may use hand gestures to signal they are hungry. It is okay to give them food or eatables. Children can't resist candies and it is better than giving them money. the best way is supporting locals and charities which would go to the needy person in the most effective way. these are the ways in which we can do the most.

We have so many people asking for money here. They stand in the streets at stoplights asking for money. My husband decided to offer a meal instead of money. He'll go in and buy them a sandwich and drink. Some of the people don't want the food - one woman was belligerent when he offered. She was stuffing cash in her pockets and said "oh never mind!". We also give to the Salvation Army and Goodwill here.

Dear Bagumbayan, There are many beggers roaming around the city noeadays. they are there wherever you go, to the railway station, in the trains, in the temples and where else, and everywhere they know that a crowd will gather. I never give anything not even food or clothes. I would rather give the old clothese to the orphanages or other charities. These beggars do not merit consideration at all. Most of them can work and earn a living, ifyou tell them they will just scoldyou outright and go off. I have seen beggars standing in thequeue in banks to pay in the money to their savings accounts. Even the cashier oneday was joking, they have more in their accounts than you and me put together. In the evening when their work (!!??!!) is over, they change their dress and then go to restaurants to have food... a nice dinner which we cannot afford to have daily.. I just hate to help them out. Instead I take all the things I have to the people who are really needy and help them. I am ready to help out the needy but not the beggers??

It depends on the nature of the person begging for food ,money or alms if the person is seriously handicapped and is in no position to work then only i give them any alms of ny kind else i just walk away because i feel people who are not disabled are merely cheating and fooling us and cheating us with our hard earned money