Anyone who has been in the car with me when I've spotted a panhandler at an intersection knows how I feel about them. I do realize that there are people who will do whatever it takes to make a buck, but the fact that people will pose to receive a hand out makes me angry to the core. Message to the people who fall for a panhandler's sign DONATE TO A REAL CAUSE. The money will be distributed as it should, to someone or a family that is in desperate need of assistance.
A great investigation done by WNDU (South Bend NBC News station) covered the life of a panhandler. In the 3 part series a reporter posed as a panhandler and I suggest YOU watch it. www.wndu.com will have the series.
Many folks don't know it but panhandlers do "work" in groups and rotate "shifts". They can make more than many of us in a day than we will make in one week. Wouldn't that be something if business after business began to close its doors because their employers decided to become panhandlers instead? It is very easy to scrounge up a piece of cardboard and make a sappy sign about not having any money. I know the reality is that there are people who are homeless holding these signs, but a high number of them are complete posers.
I've known people who have rolled down their windows to offer yard work to those who hold a sign with "Will Work" and the person refused the work...or another who wanted to offer a meal and again the person refused the food...conclude that the sign their holding is a big lie.
So next time you think about passing a couple of dollars to that panhandler on the side of the road because the weakness in your heart is tugging think again and donate to a real cause like medical research, to find a cure for the countless cancers, military veterans and families, a local mission, a local shelter, or even the Red Cross.
Or maybe this will be something that will appear in your head the next time you spot a cardboard sign...
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