I will occassionally give money, depending on the person holding the sign.  I just gave a man $1 a few days ago... he had a nice smile, though he had no teeth... it was his face.  I spoke to him until the light turned green and I do believe I made his day by telling him he had a nice smile cuz it got bigger.  I have also purchased food and given it to them rather than give money. 

I used to work for a company that when we would have big sales meetings with catered meals at Corporate, after everyone was done eating, 2 of the Executives would pack up the food and drive to the area where the homeless would be and hand out the leftovers.  I thought this was such a great thing for them to do, rather than let the food go to waste.  These homeless people down in Phoenix would be blessed with some really good food too on those nights!!!!! 

I always look to give something but I am not that well off...I would never have the guts to panhandle but I hope to never be in that situation.  I would never give any homless person enough to buy alcohol, but if thats what they want to do then so be it.  It has to be tough to cope in those situations.

There but for the grace of God go I.  I've been very close to their lot in life.  I usually give them a buck or so; so what if they spend it on booze; who I am to judge them.  If you've never been an alcoholic you don't understand the burning need for a drink; if you've never gone to a 165 places for a job and get turned down you don't understand the need to panhandle....Judge not lest ye be judged.

Your handing out a buck or so will bless you many times over IF you are humble about  it no matter what the person does with it (Karma if you like or Grace if you are a Christian).

Do you have a job and supportive family?  I've got a guy who lives in the projects that is in a Bible Study with us that is out of a job and has a new baby of one month.  He got laid off from the mill down here in SC about 3 years ago, he has no H.S. Education because he quit school to take care of his widowed mother with that great paying job at the mill 12 years ealier---now, no mill, no job, mom's dead, gotta wife, gotta baby, lost his home and he's living in a pretty crime infected state project.

In the last four months since he's been in the Bible Study we've convinced him to start working on his G.E.D., he's been out looking for a job(alone and through an agency) and he's filled out 165 applications as of last Tuesday night.  He's lost all his Unemployment insurance.  How would some of our Q'ers fair???? Hmmm.

   The good part of the story; today at church he told me he got a job at a small mill; he pays a ton for insurance but he needs it with the baby, BUT he has a secure paycheck!  AMEN!!!!

   He said he was one step away from going into a larger city down the road to panhandle if he didn't get a job.  How would I have handled his situation, how would you, how would many of ya'll???