On giving money to people
Written at: 17:53 25 Jan, 2008
Two people asked me for money last week.
One was a guy on the street who asked for spare change for food. I said no to him, though I felt somewhat guilty about it immediately afterward.
The other guy is running for mayor, attempting to get public funding for his campaign, which requires that he get at least 1,000 five-dollar contributions. He didn't even ask me directly, but I gave him five dollars without thinking about it very much.
Now, in my defense, I encounter a lot more people on the street asking for my money than I do mayoral candidates, so if one thinks in terms of establishing precedent, it's a bit less frightening to give five dollars to the latter.
Also, this particular candidate's running means I will have a choice in the upcoming election, whereas before there was only one person apparently destined for the mayorship. A lack of opposition makes for bad politics in my mind, so my donation paid benefits to me and, I'd like to think, the rest of Portland.
But if I can be that free with my money with people who already have lots of money (this particular candidate also being the head of a large travel agency), surely I can give a little more to people who are less well off (directly, that is — besides my donations to charity).
For, while it is possible that my political donation will effect change for me (my electoral choices) and the city (an actual mayoral contest), it is also probable that giving to a guy on the street will effect more change for him (food or whatever he'll be able to buy that he couldn't before).
Anyhow, my new plan is that, when someone asks me for money for food, if there's a reasonably priced food place nearby and I have the time (the trick, of course, lies in being as generous with my time as I plan to be with my money), I'll walk there with them and buy them some food.
Some might ask, "Why not just give the guy some change and let that be that?" Or even, "Why do you put more strings on giving to the poor than on giving to the rich?" Those are fair questions. I suppose the answer is partly due to experience, but possibly also due to ignorance or even classism.
As for experience, in the past when I've talked to people who wanted money, it has become apparent that some of them did not really want it for food (as they initially claimed), but for some other purpose (likely not as wholesome as food, or they would not have told me that story first).
As for ignorance, I honestly don't know what the mayoral candidate is going to do with my donation, or how I could earmark it for purposes I approve of. So I don't think it's an option.
And as for classism, I guess there's the presumption (always based on some amount of experience or fact) that people begging on the street often use the money they receive for alcohol and drugs, which I don't want to support. Of course, the other presumption is that the political candidate will not do such things. And frankly, there are a lot of facts out there that contradict that presumption.
But that's my idea. If someone asks me for money for food, I will, within reason, buy them food. What do you think?
Comments on "On giving money to people"
7 comments so far.
another option you might consider is to buy some meal coupons from sisters of the road cafe (it's at nw 6th and couch). coupons are $2 each and provide a hot meal for the bearer. you can hand out the cards instead of money, thus ensuring that the money doesn't go to drugs or alcohol while still providing the food asked for.
www.sistersoftheroadcafe.org
http://www.sistersoftheroad.org/wa/sisters/info/754/
Written by: Preston
Written at: 10:14 26 Jan, 2008
I prefer to give to established and trusted charities whose mission is to help homeless persons. In this way, your money has the greatest chance of actually making a difference in the long run. The charity will be run by professionals who will make sure the money is used where it will do the most good, which is an assurance you will not get by giving directly to an individual.
In the case of food, when I volunteered time at the Oregon Food Bank, they told us that $1 donated to them will allow them to buy $5 or $10 worth of food, due in part to food manufacturers' selling them the food at wholesale prices. They said that they would much rather have money than food donations for this reason. The same logic would undoubtedly apply to buying people food versus donating the money to the food bank.
Donating to non-profit charities also allows you to take a tax deduction and may qualify for employer matching (if available), which further amplifies your donation.
Written by: tODD
Written at: 10:58 28 Jan, 2008
So my question in response would be: how have these ideas worked for you in practice?
Emma, have you ever purchased SotR meal coupons? If you've given them to people, how have they reacted?
And similarly, Preston, what would/do you do when someone on the street asks you for change or food? Do you tell them about the Food Bank? Maybe a card to tell them how to get to one of their locations so they can get food? I'm honestly asking (in case I read like I'm being testy).
I do give to the Oregon Food Bank as one of my main social charities, and I think they're great for the reasons you list. But that doesn't necessarily help when someone asks me for money downtown.
Written by: Jarrett
Written at: 17:59 01 Feb, 2008
I kinda think of beggers like this: If whatever they want to do with the money will alleviate the humility of having to beg, or the discomfort of living outside, I don't really care what they do with the monies - usually some number of cents - I give them. The only string I attach is that they must ask nicely.
Giving money to a candidate, on the other hand, is something I almost always can't quite rationalize.
Written by: Nils
Written at: 06:35 08 Feb, 2008
Buying the food myself has worked best for me, although I haven't tried the coupon thing (I'll need to look into that for the Houston area). The plus side of buying it yourself is that you must interact with the person during the walk across the street and while waiting to be served.
That said, I have more often than not refused to do anything at all, either because I was in a hurry or for no good reason. And my conscience wasn't at ease.
Once I stopped and gave $20 to a lady dressed in a nurse's uniform whose car was broken down. Hackneyed story, but she was credible. I later learned from a friend that they had done the same thing in the same situation two weeks later. So much for my judge of character.
But the question is, was I wrong to give her the money? Probably I did fund a bad habit, and that was harmful. But you're right about this being a complex issue.
Written by: Mike Riley
Written at: 15:25 07 Mar, 2008
"You are defined not by who loves you but by who you love." (I don't know who said that, but it seems maybe topical.) Why would we feel guilt for not helping someone we happen to see when we know there is a world full of hungry people we haven't seen? The act may help them, but only them ... our motives and the resulting emotions are for ourselves. I'm an old one ... over the years, I just keep changing what I do in this circumstance until I feel good about it. Then go with that.
Written by: emma
Written at: 19:35 25 Jan, 2008