at the intersection

[asakiyume]

At more and more intersections, especially ones with multiple lanes of traffic, there are people holding up signs saying they're homeless and hungry and asking if you can spare anything. When traffic is moving, cars are speeding by. When traffic is stopped, though, I guess some people must give, otherwise no one would bother asking.

I feel even more conflicted about this form of panhandling than I do about other forms because it seems dangerous, mainly for the person begging, but potentially for others too.

I've never seen anyone give anything to anyone, until yesterday. The light was red. We were in the left lane, right next to the panhandler, but were resolutely ignoring her. (Usually it's a older man there, but yesterday it was a young woman, all bundled up.) Then the car next to us in the right lane honked. The white-haired woman in that car rolled down her window and called to the panhandler, holding out a ziplock bag containing two water bottle and a sleeve of crackers. The panhandler crossed in front of our car to get to the woman with the bag, smiled and thanked her, and walked back to the island between the opposing lanes of traffic, all before the light turned.

That moment of exchange seemed just . . . good. Both women seemed happy. Putting everything else aside--and I know we can't really do that, but--if you ask, it must be consoling, heartening, warming, any number of other good things, to have someone respond. And the older woman didn't just happen to have that stuff in her car; she must have prepared the bag in advance. It must have been wonderful to help someone, even if just in a small way.

Comments

[ericmarin.livejournal.com]

I don't give money to folks at intersections, but I will give them packaged snacks, if I have any in the car and the stoplight timing works out. I walk to get lunch most weekdays, so if I am heading back to work with something to eat and someone asks for money, I will offer them part of my lunch, instead. If they accept it, which they usually do, I go back and buy that part of my lunch again.

I'm glad you posted about this, as it reminded me to follow up on something I've been meaning to do: fill a grocery bag full of snack bars to keep in the car to hand out.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I'm touched and happy to hear that so many people I'm friends with do do this. I'm going to make a point of doing it too.

[ericmarin.livejournal.com]

:-)