A kinder gentler panhandler
After introducing himself and shaking my hand, I was asked by a homeless man if I would help him out by buying some chips from him. No thanks. He then asked if I’d buy him somthing to eat. No, because you just tried to sell me food out of a plastic bag.
God Bless, he said, as he walked off.
As a rule, I don’t give money to panhandlers, but I have made exceptions.
1. When I feel threatened, as was the time when a lady knocked on the window of my car begging for gas money, as her special man sat in a junky van with the motor running.
2. When they appear to be honest and sincere, as when I gave a buck to a guy who seemed to honestly want a chicken leg that cost $1.37 (or some similar odd amount). I don’t know if he actually bought a chicken leg or not, but it was a good story and he booked on over to Save-A-Lot.
Of course, these all happened at CampusTown.