<p>^^^^For the weather alone. 
Did you see this guy while you were there?
<a href=“http://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2008/05/the-story-behind-sbs-dog-cat-and-rat-man-by-emilia-dellemonico[/url]”>The Story Behind SB’s Dog, Cat and Rat Man by Emilia Dellemonico - The Bottom Line UCSBs-dog-cat-and-rat-man-by-emilia-dellemonico</a></p>
<p>“How do you identify the real hungry?”</p>
<p>You can’t, but I think the alienation from society that the homeless, mentally ill and substance abusers experience is as big of a problem as hunger and homelessness.</p>
<p>I use the time I spend giving to the needy to chat with them and get to know them as individuals. Some appreciate it and others you can tell want to be left alone.</p>
<p>Too funny, zoeydoggie. I have yet to be offered money. Then again, the people in Maryland avoid eye contact so that may explain it.</p>
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<p>We do? I never noticed that.</p>
<p>I volunteer in a local soup kitchen. I feel good at that, at least those came will EAT, they do not take your money and buy some thing else.</p>
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<p>This reminds me of the beginning of Trading Places, were Eddie Murphy is pretending to be a disabled Vietnam vet and begging for money.</p>
<p>“I use the time I spend giving to the needy to chat with them and get to know them as individuals. Some appreciate it and others you can tell want to be left alone.”</p>
<p>Bless you.</p>
<p>My daughters and I used to cook and serve food at the local soup kitchen on a regular basis. But the deal we had is that we would only do that if we could eat with the folks there. (We paid, of course.) Learning people’s stories was a real eye-opener for all of us. </p>
<p>We were always surprised by the number of people who were working, but couldn’t afford a roof. Or the construction workers who lived six to a motel room and weren’t allowed to cook (they always arrived late, when we were running out of food, and were always covered in cement dust). Or the former college professor who knew all of Thomas Paine’s major works…by heart! Or the one family with a little girl that actually tried to pay their medical bills, insisted that they would, and became homeless as a result! (Oy! granted, not good thinking…but that’s often the case.) Or the alcoholic woman who thought it her life’s work to find homes for stray cats (and who didn’t seem to care that she didn’t have one of her own.) Or the two guys who always took extra meals because their friends on the street had total agoraphobia, and could never make it inside the door. (We had a woman former HP computer executive like that, too - she knew she needed help, but local services always thought that the solution was to find her a room, and, the way she looked at it, that was the problem! She used to sleep on the floor in the bathroom of a gas station nearby, and hadn’t been caught yet.) </p>
<p>We saw surprisingly few drug addicts - the meth people often ended up in fights and weren’t welcome; the opiate addicts would never get there on time, or food was just a lower priority. Probably a third had significant mental health problems, and a third were alcoholics, but the two groups overlapped. So a majority were just down on their luck, or passing through, or got kicked out of their house because there were too many mouths to feed.</p>
<p>Maybe it is just this county, Cartera.</p>
<p>zoedoggie, you need to patent that look and make money. :D</p>
<p>mini, we call it Karma money. It’s probably why our kids got huge merit scholarships to the best colleges :)</p>
<p>Karma money. Concept of the Day!</p>
<p>A Marylander who favors eye contact? Could someone post a link to this elusive beast?</p>
<p>I never give cash directly to beggars.
I do give to charities that support food kitchens and other services. It’s the best way to be sure the money isn’t buying drugs or alcohol.
There’s a guy in our town who occasionally stands by the freeway onramp with a sign that says “Why Lie? I need a beer.”</p>
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<p>He’d love our town. We have a Bud plant with free beer - you just have to take the free tour. No limit on how many tours you can take.</p>
<p>Momsquad, I am sure you are a nice person but please don’t move to Santa Barbara! I was just telling DH about this thread and we were talking about how many homeless people and panhandlers there are in SB. I am sure it’s a combination of nice weather and a very liberal culture…</p>
<p>Ps EK I have never been on State Street and not seen that guy. I think he pays rent on his sidewalk space. All jokes aside it is a problem. Some are so aggressive that people don’t want to be on State Street. One of the Trader Joes now has signs up outside saying that they give to the homeless shelters and the food bank and asking that you not give to panhandlers. there is also now both an apartment style facility for Mental Health patients and several Transition Houses for addiction cases so there are support services. Years ago I had a homeless guy who washed my windows at my house. I got to know him and he made a choice to be homeless. He was not on mess and not mentally ill. He didn’t like being tied down…ended up dying in his car and we, and many others, donated to help pay for his burial…</p>
<p>Usually I don’t give to those who look physically able to go out and get a job, because I feel that there are many people like them, but some just don’t go out and beg. However, if the beggar is someone who is physically disabled, then yes, I most definitely give money to them. </p>
<p>Thats just my 2 cents.</p>
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But how do you know if it’s good karma or bad karma? Is it really a good idea to enable these people to continue their drug/alcohol lifestyles in a way where they can skip getting professional help? I’d call that bad karma. </p>
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Come to think of it I don’t recall ever seeing a physically disabled beggar. Most of them have working arms, legs, eyes, ears, etc. - more of these physical capabilities than many people working hard in the workplace.</p>
<p>Coincidentally to this thread, I saw a couple of minutes of a show today that deals with addicts (one of the reality type shows) and this one had a young female heroin addict who said she usually makes $100/day begging since she says she ‘doesn’t want to have a job’. She laughingly mentioned how she ‘makes herself cry’ and presents other sob stories to the gullible people who help feed her habit.</p>
<p>If we were at full employment, I could understand the “Get a job” response. However, we are not.</p>
<p>I sometimes give money - sometimes not. I never, ever question whether they have a legitimate need or not. There is no way for me to know and a judgment that is not for me to make. Lack of physical problem says nothing about whether there is a debilitating mental condition.</p>