How to Help the Needy

We see them everywhere, human beings downtrodden, eyes downcast asking for help. What can we, as a society, as individuals do to help these bent or broken versions of ourselves? How can we help our fellow traveler on the path of life? It doesn’t matter how we help them, it does matter that we help them whether it’s giving them money, a meal or a blanket, all that matters is that we give without expecting anything in return.

If you’ve ever wondered what you can do to help the homeless in your area, this article hopes to offer some ideas. Give without expecting reciprocation One of the most common reasons I’ve heard for not giving something as small as a quarter to the homeless is that they’ll spend it on booze or crack or whatever their addiction happens to be. Perhaps it’s true but how are you to know which homeless person even has an addiction? So now we’re left with one of two choices: either give to all or give to none. True compassion is giving without judgment; it means giving while being perfectly aware that the recipient may indeed buy whatever it is that helps them hide from their personal pain and giving anyway.

However, it’s not necessary to give just money to whoever asks it of you. Give money It’s quite possible to give money to those in need without even having to put it in the hands of the individual homeless person. Perhaps you’d like to give to an organization that caters to the homeless such as a shelter or a church. That way you help the needy without the nagging suspicion that the money you give will be used in an addictive way. Besides, it’s tax deductible, making it a win-win situation. Suppose, however that you don’t have any money to spare but still want to help?

Give clothes or a blanket If you have any old clothes in your closet that no longer fit you or you simply don’t want anymore, why not give it to the homeless? You can give either clothes or a blanket (or both) to a homeless person him or herself or to an organization that distributes such items. You can even give to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift store thereby giving jobs to the homeless. I will admit, though, that I don’t know if this kind of donation is tax deductible or not. If you don’t have any clothes to give, there is another way you can help the homeless.

Give food The next time a homeless person asks you for help with money to buy food, offer to buy the food for them directly. True, they may hem and haw and say that they’d rather have the money in which case you can walk away. Yes, it’s obvious that they don’t really want the food but if you don’t want to give them any money you can volunteer at a soup kitchen. You can even give away sandwiches yourself. In any case the homeless get fed and you can rest easy knowing that in one small way, you made the world a little better.

I hope this article has given you something to think about. Hopefully I’ve given you something to think about the next time you see a street person. I hope that even if you don’t use any of the ideas listed here, you still help those in need, whether you think they deserve it or not.