Depends on the charity.

The Salvation Army gets most of the money to the people they intend to help;  their staff is either volunteer or paid a token.  And there is a small unregistered charity down the road from me which is costing its founders a bundle;  they give out all of what they take in and put in quite a bit of their own money as well, paying most expenses out of their own pockets.

United Way, on the other claw, is a scam (or is that "scum") and I can't understand why anyone contributes to them.

I was too broke to contribute earlier in the year;  now, it turns out that people dumped so much money out  back then that many charities (of both types) aren't getting enough today.  The Salvation Army is reported to be badly pinched now -- they weren't in the forefront of the "September 11" charity drives, and now people are feeling tapped out and the economy sucks anyway.  I'm planning on giving the SA some money when I see them at the mall.

Even though I am stinking poor, I still give to homeless people. It is my hope that one day when I reach that level of destitute, someone else will be just as giving to me.

I'm tired of being asked to give, either in person or over the phone, by groups because I'm already helping them out.  I volunteered at lunch time for a few weeks at a local soup kitchen.  It was walking distance from work, and I got a free meal, so I didn't mind doing it.  Then the church sponsoring it, starting asking me for money, every single day.  Mostly, I washed dishes and pans, so it wasn't much fun, especially while having to listen to some rich retired guy complain about how I wasn't pulling my weight helping to fund the kitchen.  Since then, I've started working strange hours (just check the time of day I've posted here lately), and I can't help any longer.  So, these guys started calling me [i]more than once a day[/i] at both home and work asking for money.  I get, maybe, two calls for myself at home per month, so two per day is annoying me.

I used to also volunteer my time, and my job would provide the car, for Meals on Wheels, before they started demanding that the drivers donate money.  I can't afford to take two hours off of work, pay for gas, and pay for the [i]privilege[/i] of helping.

Also, I help three non-profit organizations and a church in town with their accounting.  When I, for example, am spending my time explaining something for the tenth time to the church secretary, I don't appreciate comments from a preacher like "$50 would go a long way towards our building fund."  I also don't appreciate last week when I gave a neighbor, that keeps a lot of foster children, an older, but working computer.  They complained about the small (15") monitor.  It ran a few games for the kids just fine, and I just didn't want to hear them beg for more.  I had been teaching piano lessons at a local nursery, that keeps my great-nephew, about once a week.  Teaching four and five year-olds some basics was fun, then the manager asked me for $75 to reimburse the nursery for getting the piano tuned.  She told me not to come-back, unless I "pulled my own weight."

Maybe I'm just getting old, tired, and cynical, but I think it's rude to immediately ask for more when someone gives you a gift.  No one now seems to know how to gracefully accept a gift.  Sorry for the rant.z

Ive allways heard not to look a gift horse in the mouth. When i was younger i remember seeing a uncle kicked out for complaining about the meal, I feel this was just. Keep up the giving everyone it shows, you maynot see it but it will change someones life.

This ? can be for anyone who has helped someone in need.

How many people you have helped have actually done something to better their lives?  Do they actually work at their lives and do something productive, or do they live each day waiting for more handouts.

OK, this may be superficially cruel but……  If a person is begging for food all the time is it RIGHT to feed them?   OK, So you may say it is, but there is a REASON they are begging in the first place and like all animals the reason they are having trouble is they cannot cope with their environment. Whether it is their fault or not is irrelevant.  OK, so you go on feeding beggar A and he eats and is happy, and then has kids who now are also beggars……and then they have kids who are also beggars….Somewhere along the chain no matter how generous you are you will not be able to help them all and at that point there will be more suffering than if you let the first die off.   So if you like people suffering feed the ones that cannot or will not help themselves so they can breed more that cannot or will not feed themselves.  


Besides, when they are alive they pee all over the place and I really (I mean [I]REALLY[/I]) do not like that smell.

-Velveeta

Zoom,
I feel for ya, the first time someone would have told me "I wasn't pulling my weight" I think I would have packed up and left right then and there,You're right, alot of chairity orgs. don't know how to accept a gift, it seems that when you do give one, you are then placed on their list of people to bother for another "donation" I guess they're line of thinking is that if you gave once, you'll give again ..if bothered enough, I don't know what happened, but it should've never gotten to this level.Call me a Scrooge, but I don't give to any of 'em I just don't trust them to get the money where it's needed.....

People feeling guilty about not giving money is a "feeling" the people looking for the $ prey on.Kinda like the church(garandmanmyman)....they "try" to make you feel guilty about everything,they are the largest Property holding company in the world,with their vows of poverty and chasity youd think some of youd wise up! Fukemall

About the only giving I do anymore is instances where a neighbors house burns or some little kid needs surgery, toys for tots and such like that. It's pretty much local people collecting that money and you know it go's where it's needed. United Way is the biggest scam in America.

I can't imagine that during this particular season anyone would feel threatened by folks seeking to help the poor and needy of our land.

What I'm reading here is something that Ebeneezer Scrooge from Dicken's [i]A Christmas Carol[/i] would have likely said!

Yes, it is for certain you must pick out the charities that you give your money to with wisdom, but even if you just give money to a beggar on the street, and knowing that the money might end up buying, not a meal, but a bottle of wine that you wouldn't use to start a fire with, you have still done what He would have wanted you to do.

And the good part is that He will never forget what you just did.

Eric The(SoHowManyLambsAreYouSlaughteringForChristmas?)Hun[>]:)]

beggers of the charitable variety, fake cripples, the "give to the homeless" foundation, the SA Santas, the bell ringers, the panhandlers, those that ask you to buy candy, those that just shake a cup, the musicians, the performance artists, the Guardian Angel fund types, the church, the guy with one leg, the guy with one dog, the woman with the cart, the woman with the blanket, the man with the blanket full of stolen goods, and your garden variety vagrants, homeless, addicts and players.

EVERYBODY in this city has their hand out! any of you want to run that guantlet everyday? it is not fun! they are in the way, they MAKE you cynical, they MAKE you angry, and if you give to everyone of the 500,000 beggars here, YOU will have your hand out someday. i'm sick of it.

Carry a pocket full of pennies and distribute them as needed.

The problem with donating to a charity is not only that just a small portion of your donation goes to what it is intended for, but are the people who recieve this money really in need of it? For example, a family who is more wealthy than any of us, requests help from the Red Cross, and gets a nice paycheck from them because a family member died in the World Trade Center. Did that wealthy family really need the donations? Probably not.
And it goes the other way also. Some people are poor, but who's fault is it that they're poor? Should lazy people who gave up on life and believe that working for minimum wage isn't worth it for them and so they choose to live on the streets? Should I give my money to them? I say 'No'.
I do give up my hard earned money if I see it is helping someone. One of my closest friends just lost his job and so I took his family out for a nice dinner. Just to mind you, that I'm in a financial debt also. One of the things that I don't understand of people who give to charities that they will give it away blindly for people they never met before, but if a friend or family member is in need of money, they get no help at all.
One of the places I do give donations where all the money isn't necessarily going to the full cause and going to pay for employers is pro-gun groups like the NRA. This may sound selfish, but when I give to the NRA, the small portion that does go for fighting gun rights is not only helping other gun owners, but that donation is also helping me and my beliefs in gun freedoms.

[b]ArmaLiter[/b]

I can barely remember anything any of my high school teachers ever told me, but I do remember a very profound statement from my sophomore year English teacher.  She said, "We tend to end up hating those we give charity."

Most of the people begging you for money just need to get their asses to work. These low-lifes give the real people in need a bad name. If they would go to one of the shelters and check in then those people could determine whether they need anything or not. When you hand money to some dude on the street then it just circumvents the process. Give to a church and/or some other organization. Just take the time to figure out which one is reputable.

I went down to Galveston with the girlfriend a few weeks ago for breakfast. She had to run into a local Stop-n-Go for something. As she was walking through the door some homeless looking dude (acting sort of wired) was bouncing around to the side and as he looked at her walking by grabbed his crotch in a rather rude gesture(yeah, that's right, just like "hey baby I want to use this one you"). I had gotten out of the car to stretch my legs and was just standing around. He then approached me and asked if I could help him out. I said no and he kept bugging me. I then told him to get the hell outta my face and he started the whole "You got a problem with the black man?" thing. He was get real attitudinal when I finally reached through his arms and clamped down on his adams apple. That stopped him. This was just about the time that the girlfriend came out of the store. So there I was leaning against her car and holding some black dude by the throat. That looked real cool. Then she said, "Can we go now?" When he looked at her and figured out that my girlfriend was the black/hispanic chick that he was just gesturing at a few moments ago he got all appoligetic and was saying how sorry he was and could I still just help a brother out.  I let him go and told him to get his perverted ass outta my zone.

It's pretty damn funny when some asshole trys to pull that racial crap on you and then figures out that they are busted. What a moron.

We then headed off to IHOP. It certainly was a fun morning.

"Salvation Army" - I don't mind dropping pocket change into that little red bucket.

UnitedWay - no way in hell, I had reasons for this even before their 9/11 fiasco.

Most of my charitable donation's go to, "Disabled American Vet's", "Crusade for children" (local charity)

7 wrote:

At the soup kitchen?  None.  I think the distinction has to be made between people who want something to pay for a recurring cost that they can plan for (like rent each month or food every day) and something for a one-time, unexpected event (e.g. lost their job or had an unexpected medical bill).  I'm generalizing here, and I'm cynical, but if someone wants help with something that is going to be a problem again the next day or in 30 days, then they're probably never going to help themselves.  You give them money, then in a month, they're going to be right back where they are now.  If they need help in an emergency, then they'll probably come-out better and your help will make a difference.  Well, that's my $0.01.z

Have to agree with Achmed on this one.....[argue]

71 Hour -"United Way, on the other claw, is a scam (or is that "scum") and I can't understand why anyone contributes to them."

Because they get a tax write off. Duhhhhhh

R4M
[sniper]

And, the tax write-off is more important to some people than anything else.

Those of us that don't have enough deductions to itemize get screwed by the taxcode, because we can't deduct what we give to charity.  Also, we can't deduct time spent, so we're screwed further.  I help a couple of guys with their taxes that give stock to charity.  They come-out very well, because if they bought the stock when it was low and sold high, they get to deduct the entire current value of the stock.  Also, you never have to pay income taxes on the amount of money it appreciated.  Of course, I shouldn't complain, because there are two colleges in town that wouldn't be able to remain open if it wasn't for gifts of stock for this very reason.z

I offered to buy a beggar a meal one time and he told me to F' off.  
Beggars could go down to the local Temp Labor office, and get themselves some dignity.

True beggars in need:
[url]http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?id=76119[/url]

Please help.

When I walk by a beggar, just for fun I say, "Get a job".

Seriously, I used to give the pathetic beggar a few coins.  Several years back, I was putting gas in my POS Fiat and ther was a beggar on the corner holding a cardboard sign.  He folds up his sign and puts it in his ratty looking duffle bag.  He walks over to a parking lot and gets in a new looking Caddy and drives away.  The scumbag was driving a better car than me.  If he stole it, he doesn't deserve any handout.  If it was his, he should sell it and buy some food.  

I asked one of them once how much they collect each day.  He said between $50-$100 a day in change.  They don't pay any tax on it, and probably collect some welfare or something too.  These scumbags make more money than I was earning at the time. I don't feel guilty about not giving them a dime.  Sometimes I get angry knowing there are people in real need, and these pukes are mooching off society.  Now, I only donate to a few worthy charities that I know won't waste my money.  

So. Cal is full of professional bums.  They show up at their favorite begging corners with regularity, just as if attending a real job.  Their signs are neatly and cleverly done to get the message across at a glance, and fold up neatly when not in use, complete with a slot for the fingers.

To hell with professional bums.  I only have sympathy for people who don't feel "entitled" to my wallet.

A few years ago one of the ladies who worked back in the factory of the company I worked for came around begging with a collection for one of the other employees whose son had died.  You wouldn't believe sob story about this woman's little darling Javier and what a good boy he was, only to die at 15.  The tears flowed like a river, and everyone in the office coughed up money as fast as they could.

It just so happens that I was totally broke, but told them I'd bring some money in tomorrow.  My boss put in $20.

The next day someone brought in the newspaper that had the story about the kid's death.  Apparently cute little Javier was a gang-banger with a criminal record as long as your arm.  It turns out that he and a few of his friends were committing a home invasion robbery when the homeowner managed to retrive a 12ga. and quite literally splatter this kid's brains on the wall.

My boss immediately found the lady taking collections and demanded his money back.  And, of course, I never gave anything.

It's been my experience that except for bizzare stuff like earthquakes and terrorist attacks, the vast majority of people who have "fallen on hard times" put themselves there.  Fuck 'em.

I didn't give one thin dime to any one of these "charitable orgsanizations" for the Sept 11 tragedy.

I have however put probably about $20K into the economy, over and above my mortgage and household expenses since Sept. 11.

Way I see it, I'm helping to feed LOTS of people.

actually thats the bad part. [}:D]

i find it better to help the people you personally know.


Lib (tiredofbeggerswhowaitoutsideTacoBellevenafterothershaveleftbeforeyoujusttotargetyouwiththeirsobstoriesofpovertyandneedofasandwichwhentheiratamexicanrestaurant)

Reverend Ike said, "The best way to help the poor is by not being one of them."

I saw a guy downtown where I work asking people for money.  I ignored him until he came up to me.  His deal was that his wife and 2 kids were back in his car which ran out of gas. He asked if I could spare a few dollars.  Nope sorry.

About a week later I see the same guy again...he comes up to me and says the same story again except he has 3 kids now.  

It's sad...I would really help someone on the street if I knew they were really in need or at least they were straight up with me.

[img]http://home.neo.rr.com/mchas/brother.jpg[/img]

I have no sympathy for panhandlers whatsoever.

If they stave, let them starve.
If they free, let them freeze.
If they lost their house, it’s their own fault.

If an illegal alien from Mexico can pay a coyote $3,000 to get over here by swimming across the river (not right now), get a place to live, obtain utilities, get a car, find their way around, and wire money to their family to Mexico, without speaking a word of English, why can every single citizen of this country do that too.  It’s much easier since we have the knowledge of our culture and economy.

Throughout many spots in Houston (I will not disclose), illegal aliens are waiting on corners, empty lots, gas stations, etc. getting jobs with construction companies, temporary agencies, restaurants, warehouses, etc.  They are earning at least $50 per day from these manual labor jobs with great pride as they have accomplished something.  These people do better jobs than our American counterparts for less money and complaining.  So why should I care about the homeless and needy.

On numerous occasions, I've offered panhandlers $100 to wash and detail my cars and boat at my home to help them out (with all the junk I have, it would take them no longer than 3 hours per car).  100% of the time, they tell me to f--- off because I am not helping them, as they are “needy.”  So anytime one approaches me, I just tell them to f--- off and will be forceful to anyone who continues to irritate me.  There is one guy near my home, that would block the street unless the person blocked would give in to his demands of the sign “Give me $5.00.”  Well he did that to me one day and I just got fed up and stepped on the gas (F-350 4x4 crew cab w/Ranch-Hand cattle guard.), which easily moved him out of my way.  A few days later, I see someone punching the guy on the street next to his car with a long key mark on his vehicle.  I enjoyed seeing that.

I have more respect for illegal aliens than the homeless.

Let them starve!

I do feel sorry for their pets though!

This christmas I donated to a local church (one that actually needs the money and helps the community) and christmas bonuses to my employees (even though times are very tough for me right now).

Man, I know what you mean! My first job was cleaning up parking garages. Every morning I had the 'privilege' of hosing out 9 stairwells and 4 elevators to get rid of the feces, vomitus and urine that the 'homeless' people left during the night.

The I got to sweep up all the broken beer, wine and liquor bottles that they'd bought with the money the office workers had given them so they could 'go see their poor dying mother/father/aunt/uncle/sister/brother in Birmingham'.

I lost a lot of compassion for the homeless of the 1970's and 1980's.

In the late 80's and 90's, I started to have more compassion for a different kind of homeless people. Those that had been ruined by the downsizing, forclosures and bankruptcies that put whole families on the street; living in a car that would have been reposessed if the bank had known where to find it.

The local United Way and the National United Way both had big scandals about multi-hundred-thousand dollar expense accounts and outrageously high salaries, and I gave up on them. They still haven't proven to me that they deserve my coin (and probably never will).

I started donating the third deer I harvested every year to the local food bank; and campaigning to persuade other hunters to do the same. That Idea came from reading an interview with Ted Nugent many years ago. The food banks love 'in-kind' donations, and I can always find a processor who will donate their time processing the deer if it's going to the food bank.

Since then, most of my donations have been 'in-kind' to local service charities, except a sizeable cash donation every year to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts (which I don't consider charities at all.)

I think I've mentioned my church donation habits in another thread, so I won't repeat it here.

Charity and compassion have their place, but Charity (with a big 'C') is a big business that I have no intention to subsidize.

No,I never give them anything.I hate the Jesus ones the most.If they have anything to do with religion I will be very harsh in my response to them,and I enjoy doing so very much.If they say they are helping at risk youth from joining gangs I tell them:The best way to help an at risk youth that wants to be in a gang or is in one is to take them out and shoot them in the head.That usually gets me the "have a nice day sir" comment.I hope all the begging maggots rot.