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“There is a story that is about 60 years old about a fellow who put an ad in the NY Times. It simply read: “Send in your dollar”, and gave a PO box.”

Mom told me of a beggar who was always in front of J.P. Allen’s in Atlanta when she was growing up in the ‘30s. He would get picked up by his driver each afternoon. It’s always a scam. Try offering work to the guy at the on ramp holding the “Will work for food” sign.

. Try offering work to the guy at the on ramp holding the “Will work for food” sign.

Or offering food (not money) to same. Sometimes it is the real deal. Back when airlines offered real food I was not feeling well and didn’t eat mine, but closed the styrofoam cover and a guy asked me for food. I gave him the whole meal, walked around the block, and he was wolfing it down as if it were all you can eat in 2 minutes prime rib. Another time I was on North Ave in Chicago picking up the only New Haven style pizza for hundreds of miles for my deserving family. I was passing a man (I was parked far away) who asked me for some pizza.

I have him a couple of slices. He may never have another chance to have some of that type. Finally, I was recently refilling my gallon water jugs at an outdoor kiosque, and some middle aged man who was obviously walking a long time asked if he could have a jug of water, not money. The station was 25 cents a gallon. Of course I gave him one of my eight jugs. No regret on all three of those. More frequently, the beggar says he can’t early the food that I bought or myself, or in the case of gasoline, never had a car to put it in.

There is a lady who begs every day near the entrance to the grocery store we use. On a local website, someone wrote “Don’t give her money! She lives with her son down the street, he takes care of her. She takes the money straight into the grocery store and buys lotto tickets!”

Heh.