Is there a "free food app"?

[TractorTYMe]

Yeah I was once very very poor I worked as an IT Intern paid $500 a month living in the most expensive city in the world at the time.........my rent was $500/month, I had but 5 bucks left in my wordily possessions in my pocket. Gave it to a pan handler, later that day the same pan handler was drinking beer from a six pack. That's the day I turned to cynical bastard.

 

[Liquidsilver]

I'll walk through a wall for someone that's truly needy... and I've done so, even when I've gotten egg on my face.

But this is why I get so frustrated with a society that encourages people to become needy when they shouldn't be. We steal their chance at the fulfillment of self achievement, rendering them injured for life... and many never recover.

I believe we need a 'safety net' for people that truly need it, but we can't have a 'safety net' when people are crowding into it for free stuff.

Shame had a purpose in society and it wasn't always a bad thing. We can't be free and have free stuff at the same time. Free stuff becomes the master, and eventually a slave master.

 

[Fixastuff]

If someone I don't know asks and I have it then I give it. None of my business what they do with the money.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I'll walk through a wall for someone that's truly needy... and I've done so, even when I've gotten egg on my face.

But this is why I get so frustrated with a society that encourages people to become needy when they shouldn't be. We steal their chance at the fulfillment of self achievement, rendering them injured for life... and many never recover.

I believe we need a 'safety net' for people that truly need it, but we can't have a 'safety net' when people are crowding into it for free stuff.

Shame had a purpose in society and it wasn't always a bad thing. We can't be free and have free stuff at the same time. Free stuff becomes the master, and eventually a slave master.

WOW... Couldn't agree more. Used to be, "WANT" was a great motivator.

 

[4570Man]

Most of the jobs i've seen around here, are entry level jobs, stuff we did as teenagers, back in the day, now being done by adults with family. They don't pay well. There is a large corporate retailer in the area that pays peanuts, only does part time so it doesn't have to pay for benefits. These large corporate retailers use our tax money to subsidize their employees. We used to drive into town and volunteer at food banks and kitchens. I'd say 90+% were not able to hold a job. Most of those had mental issues, the rest bad health kept them from working.

That’s probably true but if your attitude is if you can’t find a job that pays enough to suit you so you just don’t have a job then don’t bother asking me for anything.

 

[cqaigy2]

That’s probably true but if your attitude is if you can’t find a job that pays enough to suit you so you just don’t have a job then don’t bother asking me for anything.

Well that's a big bunch of if's isn't it, more like it's your attitude being represented.

 

[N80]

I was in New Orleans years ago and was approached by a man asking for money. I took out my wallet and gave him five dollars. He took it, looked at it with disgust and said "that's all?"

We also have local food banks and yes, the cars in the line are very often nicer than mine. @MossRoad makes a good point that many of those cars might be people picking up stuff for others. I had never thought about that. But most, I fear, are not. Many of the "poor" around here have nice cars, new cell phones, new Nikes etc.

These experience and many like it put me off from giving to beggars. (For the record, it never put me off giving to organized and trusted charities.)

Years later I was reading the Sermon On the Mount. It said, simply, "Give to everyone who asks of you." There were no qualifications, no exceptions. After that, if people ask I try to give if I have it. And that can be hard. Sometimes I am pretty sure that money is going to buy drugs or alcohol. I try to keep the bitterness in check though as it does me more harm than good. And who knows, an act of kindness may be more meaningful and helpful to someone than the material gift that was given.

I'm not perfect and so if I'm certain that I am being scammed I will not give. In our area there are organized groups of beggars who essentially have a 'pimp' who drives them around to different parts of town and gets a large cut of what they take in. The local police have asked the local public not to give because it makes the problem worse and the person you give to isn't going to keep much of it.

But in the end, if we let the people who abuse charity end charity then those in need are the ones who suffer.

Finally, we give regularly to a local food bank that vets the families and people they give to. They have to qualify. It takes a lot of organization and a larger staff to do so of course. I know that isn't realistic for many donor groups so I'm not saying that's the way it 'should' be done but it is another way to do it. This particular charity is also very transparent with its budget and funding and their overhead is very low.

 

[N80]

An additional thought: The much, much harder (and potentially dangerous) thing to do with someone who is begging is to actually help them, not just give them money. Find out what they really need, what their situation is, where they need to go, etc. I wish I could say that I have actually done that but in most cases I am like the ones in the parable who passed by the man that the Good Samaritan helped. That's a parable worth studying regardless of what your beliefs are. It is humbling and convicting.

 

[MossRoad]

We also never give directly to people asking for money on the street. We only donate to reputable charities/organizations. They usually have a pretty good handle on how to make the best use of the donation to help the most people that are in need.

 

[etpm]

You know, I read all the preceeding posts and it's just like I hear from so many folks. It is real easy to come up with reasons not to give to somebody. 0ne, or a few, people we help in some way take advantage of us, so then we condemn them all. Judge them all. Use the one who took advantage as an excuse to no longer give to any.
Here on Whidbey Island is a charity called Good Cheer. They are known, in a good way, for being very efficient at converting cash into food to give away. This cash comes from donations and from sales at their thrift stores.
They do not vet the folks they donate groceries to. They think it is wrong. I agree. Anybody can go to their food bank and go shopping. They don't ask why you are getting food there. You don't have to justify yourself. For so many people it is very embarrassing to go to a food bank in the first place. To then have to go through a vetting process can just be too much. Being poor is not a moral failing yet we in America too often act as if it is. In the Good Cheer thrift store that is local to me they have a fridge with a glass door so that you can see the prepared sandwiches and other food contained within it. Anybody can help themselves to the food. No questions asked.
I myself am amazingly fortunate. I was born to parents who loved me and my brothers and valued education. Who raised my brothers and I in a neighborhood with mixed races, religions, and incomes. I never learned to be a bigot. I never learned to look down on others because they were poorer than us. I am also very fortunate to have been born with enough intelligence to become a pretty damn good machinist. I can't take credit for my good fortune. I can't take credit for my talent. I can't take credit for not being born to drug addicted parents. But I sure as hell can give some to folks who are less fortunate than me. Without judging. Without questioning.
Eric