For those who have been homeless or have worked with the homeless:
If someone were to hand you a brown bag full of food what would you be happy to see? (Other than drugs/booze)
I'm thinking of handing out brown bags containing a few things to eat; nothing expensive but hopefully enough to keep someone full for a few hours and feel human.
Winter bag: Soup (chicken noodle or lentil soup or leek and potato), energy bar, piece of fruit, maybe a mug of coffee or hot chocolate
Summer bag: sandwich (hummus sandwich with crudites or ham and cheese sandwich), can of refrigerated fruit pieces, energy bar
I'm aware some homeless people would reject free food and just want money, but this is for those out there who would feel grateful to have something to eat
Careful.
Depending on where you are, you may get arrested if you hand out food without having food service certifications, no joke.
I and some people from my meeting were stopped by police for handing sandwiches to the homeless without food service certification. One of us waxed quite upset at the situation and became belligerent. She was fined for 'operating a business without health inspections,' 'operating a business without a license,' and arrested on charges of 'disorderly conduct,' and 'threatening an officer with bodily harm.'
We're Quakers. We don't threaten. We don't harm. No one threatened or harmed anyone. The police lied.
Just donate to a soup kitchen or homeless shelter instead. This doesn't give their loitering positive reinforcement and makes them seek out places where they could possibly get better assistance, maybe even find a life changing opportunity. Homelessness is a sad thing, but you need to be firm and resolute in dealing with them.
>>7152771
Your time and money would be better spent in a volunteering. If you're serious about helping the homeless, go a soup kitchen and lend a hand.
>>7152771
>Making food bags with gay names like 'Winter Bag' and 'Summer Bag'.
You sound like one of those assholes who likes to help homeless to get validation from others that you're a 'good person'.
Bet you post that shit on FaceBook too, ya fucking ninny.
How would they open the cans? How would they heat up the soup?
>>7152792
this desu
they have the mentality of stray cats
free lunch and all
esp if you serve out of your house, or something
could be more prone to break ins robbery. etc
>>7152771
Hell I could use one of these brown bags.. I'm very poor and basically live off of one bowl of oatmeal daily. If somebody gave me that I would be overjoyed.
>>7152819
>tfw good deeds don't exist in this world unless they're posted on social media by the person in question or their mate
So hi there um so I've been homeless off and on since I was sixteen, 23 now and literally in about 24 hours I will be homeless again.
Anyways I wouldn't really take a random person's food, mostly because I dress like a housie and would not trust someone passing me food for an unfounded reason.
Maybe if they were part of an org and/or arent those douchebags who take pictures when they give us something but generally speaking like things that can be kept at around day time temperatures are nice.
Cans, packages, etc.... are ideal, things don't spoil in a mater of hours or a day or two as well. People forget that as a homeless person who has been around the block we know we're to get prepared food the issue is eating after those places stop serving.
I don't want to discourage you dude, for sure like you have good intentions but you also have to understand that we also enjoy a level of agency and that giving us food we can determine to eat immediately or save for future use is really nice.
Uh, that's my perspective. Other former homeless of current homeless may disagree so let's not invalidate them either :-)
Don't get them food OP.
Get a small pan big enough to cook rice, some lighters, bottle of water, bag of dry rice, salt, and any other seasoning/sauce you want.
Any homeless person who is really starving will treasure this shit until the day they starve to death.
Rice and water is cheap, you just gave them a portable stove and heat source, of course they'd have to find places and old newspapers to set fire to. When they run out of rice and water they can easily purchase rice and more water at a very cheap price.
As for making them feel back at home, I'd suggest takeaway food, it's filling, warm, and tasty. Plus if you cook something they may dislike it, or not trust it.
>>7152785
I guess that's kind of a dog move on the cops part but those laws were put in place so you can't just go around murdering the homeless which is fair enough.
>>7152900
>um
>Uh
I hate you. If you were truly hungry you would just take the fucking food and shut up.
>>7152918
You know, it's moments like these that I realize most people have no clue what homelessness is and truly think they know how we should feel, act or engage the world.
>>7152932
You know, it's moments like these that I realize people have no idea who they're talking to because it's anonymous. I've been homeless and I've graciously accepted food of all kinds because I was so hungry I could barely stand up straight. Fuck you.
>>7152934
I mean that's great you have your opinion but yours does not invalidate mine and I still stand completely by what I said.
As I stated in my closing above I'm not here to say you're wrong, this idea that we are a monolith needs to end. So by all means share your viewpoint but don't bash mine because you don't like the sound of it.
>>7152938
Entitled faggot. Eat your free food and shut the fuck up.
>>7152946
Oh you're trolling, well I have better things to do than engage with you. Have a nice day.
>>7152949
Better things to do like complain and make your entire generation look pathetic.
>>7152771
I was homeless alot of them are ungrateful toothless niggers who only want money
>>7152771
>>7152771
I like this thread. I just moved to St. Louis to Louisville KY, and before I left I wanted to buy about 60 McDoubles from McDonalds, and hand them out to the homeless. I'm less sure about approaching the homeless out here as they're much less inviting.
Any homeless looking for STRICTLY money can suck a dick, they're obviously not in bad enough of a spot where they need help.
>>7152785
Where are you anon?
If you really wanna help you should make a homeless bag. Buy a book bag fill it with clothes a big jug that can be used for water and canned foods and a can opener. I make one of these every month or so. The town I live in is much like Detroit. You can't solve homelessness, but you can help someone. Don't be pompous when you give this to the person. They may not even accept it and that's okay. Most of the time when I give someone one of these bags they're very gracious. I don't ask for anything in return. I'm an atheist so I don't do this for religious reasons. Just keep the bag in your car and if you see someone who looks homeless you could approach them and ask if they want the bag and hopefully they're not a hipster that would be hilarious.
>>7152900
Fuck you forreal. I've been homeless, and I would've taken food from anyone. It's picky homeless people like you that should take the energy you spend picking and choosing which shelter you should live off of instead of going out and saving up some fucking money. If you can dress like a housie, or you feel like you're above random handouts, act like an adult and find a place to live. No excuses.
>>7152962
I would weep if somebody gave me one of those bags. You're a great person anon.
>>7152957
>where are you
Philadelphia, US.
>>7152913
>murder the homeless
Nah, it's not about protecting the homeless. It's about tourism and littering.
See, my meeting has been doing the food thing since as long as I can remember but due to Occupy SJWs handing out food to other misguided Occupiers (but not the homeless, go figure) which created a huge littering problem (ironic considering their whole "muh Mother Earth!!!" rhetoric), the city was forced to crack down on the handing out of food in public. On the other hand, we always cleaned up after handing out food if anyone left oyster pails of soup or napkins laying about after eating.
Once the Occupiers had gone, the crackdown didn't end. Police began harassing community groups who'd been handing out food since long before Occupy. A different group, a UU church (UUs are basically Quakers nowadays, anyway) got around it by handing out Arby's since one of the guys involved managed one.
The debacle caused other problems with the law since.
We used to be able to, though against the law, give out clean syringes to intravenous drug-users. Though illegal, police and public officials basically looked the other way, against the area's drug paraphernalia laws because this exchange lowered the risk of HIV and Hep C transmission via IvDU considerably. That reduction in turn drastically reduced public healthcare costs.
However, in the wake of the whole handing out food debacle, the police in retaliation began to crack down on our involvement in helping druggies get their fix in a safer manner. I think they might have been pissed that we made them look bad. I don't know.
The needle crackdown was just this past April or May, I think.
Now, to be clear, I don't condone IvDU, but anything that will lower public costs (and mine in particular) of caring for IvDUers is always a good thing. The SJW aspects of it are entirely besides the point for me, even if it might be considered a fortuitous side effect.
Op your heart is in the right place.
But you should add more than food to the bags.
Homeless men need sox.
Homeless women need feminine products.
Those items are the most requested by the homeless.
>>7152962
Quaker poster from above. I'm also an atheist. Most of the other Friends I know are, too.
I can't speak for them, but that's actually what pushes me to help people. We're alone in the universe and there's no benign life force that will help us. We only have ourselves and one another for help. So I help others because it's the right thing to do.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontheist_Quakers
>>7152771
Godspeed my man. Anytime I go to a restaurant drive thru I grab about 5-10 extra things from the dollar menu(like a mcmuffin or a breakfast burrito) and hand them out to the homeless standing on the corner.
I know it isn't food, but I think socks are one of the most in demand items at places that give out clothes to the homeless and poor. Some nice warm socks will last longer than a meal too.
>>7153309
>"muh Mother Earth!!!" rhetoric)
thats not what socialism is about dude. infact zizek and a lot of other hard lefters refer to enviromentalism as one of capitalisms obscene psuedo freedoms.
>>7152900
>been homeless off and on since I was sixteen
>23 now and literally in about 24 hours I will be homeless again
Get off of the internet and get a job
>>7153357
The ones here were doing the whole muh Mother Earth™ thing while littering. I commented at the time on how silly it was.
>>7152771
I'd be happy too see anything, I mean I'm fucking homeless.
If someone was to give me free food, i'd be thankful to them whatever it was.
You can't really bitch about free.
...unless you're a refugee. Then apparently you can bitch and whine about the free stuff not being good enough.
>>7153359
>>7152984
Why do people assume because I am homeless that I have no ability to make an income or don't have things, I have work its just seasonal.
I also urban camp, squat, hitchhike, dumpster dive, forage and pay a metro PCS phone bills, I just don't have the money to afford rent for some months now. My homelessness is less severe now than before.
Do you guess think all homeless people like sleep in shelters or are the drunks you see at the same corner day after day? Do you believe we all spange? If that's so you are totally unaware of the hustle and savviness of most homeless people under 50 in cities.
>>7153340
Socks are homeless gold, seriously I would take clean socks from anyone.
>>7153317
Hygiene Pads are arguably the least given thing, imagine having to use the same paid your entire cycle.
>>7153905
>Socks are homeless gold, seriously I would take clean socks from anyone
I know a local radio personality that would do "homeless karaoke", and would pay the people in packs of socks and tallboys
He was well loved
>>7152771
Youre basically just going to want to give them a quick, filling and convenient meal they can finish right on the spot. Something that doesnt need to be cooked, is very filling and is convenient.. Something the person can enjoy that they dont usually get to enjoy and something containing a shit ton of fat.
Weed if you're in a legal state
A joint or two would make their day.
>>7153357
We just need to cut the balls
>>7152954
Absolutely true
>>7153905
you should jump the cliff you hike next. fuck you selfish lazy bum, most likely, nigger.
Do ham and cheese, poor people don't know what hummus is and will find it offputting. You're doing a great thing OP. Good luck!
A pair of socks would be an easy addition to a lunch and a nice surprise. Maybe a tin of mints (lasts and peppermint can put off hunger, I would recommend Altoids first and foremost).
I would focus on shelf and time stable food before anything else, though. OP's ideas seem kind of shitty. I remember when I would go to track meets and bring lunch. Cheese + hot sun = off tasting, nasty sandwiches after awhile. Nuts are good (salted, dry roasted, honey roasted, not raw). You can buy rice you're supposed to heat for 90 seconds in packages, but you won't die if you eat them cold. Can go the same route with bean dip, too, and not have to worry about hummus that needs refrigeration. Packaged things that are made for kids lunches (fruit, peanut butter, pretzels, etc.) are good options. A nice bottle of water that can be refilled. I dunno, I'm not feeling like I'm coming up with great ideas, but they need to be shelf stable and long lasting.
>>7152828
Hate to say it, but, I did give a guy a couple bucks and a large back of peanuts and he kept coming around knocking. I have since moved. The apartment before that, some rough-looking old-lady asked for some money for food, I told her I'd make her a sandwich if we waited outside and she shuffled away.
I usually just say "sorry." The town I lived in did have shelter and something along the lines of a "God's pantry," or whatever they're called. The only time I do anymore is if someone doesn't feed me a story, doesn't act either menacing or like they're acting weepy on command, and simply asks if I could spare some change. Also, noone that looks my age wearing clean, semi-expensive clothing.
>>7152954
Not to sound heartless but this is true. Granted Portland, OR has a lot more resources then other cities. I would donate to a shelter or a charity of your choice. I saw so many homeless people throw out the food that people got them because they wanted money for drugs.
>>7154777
I was homeless in Augusta ga and it practically made me Hitler
I was on and off homeless in my teens-early 20s and need to jump on the sock train.
Good fucking lord clean socks are a blessing, otherwise you get fungus and bacteria infections. Sores, bacteria eating literal tiny holes in your feet and its overall awful.
>>7152820
Hand out these and matches so they can make a "hobo stove"
t. former homeless
>>7154843
Sounds rough man. How'd you get out of it?
>>7154823
In a lot of areas it is pretty rough. Granted we have a ways to go to help our homeless population. But I saw most of the food given to them thrown out but maybe I was just around people that were more focused on getting money for drugs then food.
I will say that, as someone living paycheck-to-paycheck and having no real prospects, that practically anything I might receive as a homeless person would be most welcome. I also have a useless alcoholic uncle and have plenty of experience with those types.
All of these 'urban camping' 'respect muh individuality' fags make me sick. Scraping and scratching has given me tremendous respect for the human spirit and also taken my illusions of it - most 'lowlifes' really are, and nothing will change them. But, just because someone is in that situation (or close to it) doesn't mean that they are useless addicts / psychos. Good on you OP.
I used to live in Pensacola which has had a homeless 'problem' since forever, and I have (sometimes simultaneously) handed out food from the Taco Bell on Davis & University and told the obvious druggies and hipsters to fuck off.
I ran into plenty of "muh liberal guilt" shitlords at the college there and they're honestly worse than the "muh sob story" addicts; I'd rather help the other lowlifes and NOT post my shit onto FB. Keep on keeping on OP, seems like you're on the right track for the right reasons.
Currently pushing carts at the grocery store, kinda drunk but feeling the vibes. Stay strong op
I was homeless in my early 20s for about 6 months. I would be pretty cool with free food, but likely susp as fuck. Would probably chat with you for a bit before I accepted to make sure you weren't trying to drug/murder me. I was never the type to panhandle, so my opinion is probably different from most long time homeless.
Keep in mind that most homeless people are legit crazy and/or pieces of shit. If you really want to help out, I would suggest just volunteering and/or donating food(not money, never money) to a local soup kitchen. If you want to give things to people directly, i would opt for sleeping bags/tarps/etc. I had alot harder time with the cold and finding a place to sleep that wasn't going to get me killed. The investment to get this stuff is too high for someone on the streets usually and we have to steal them to get by which is bad for everyone.
>>7153905
You're the worst kind of homeless. The pretentious "urban outdoorsman". You are homeless by choice, therefore you deserve no help. You're the kind of person that man's me not help homeless people. Get a fucking job and quit making excuses.
>>7155622
What this guy said.
There's a pretty young white girl who begs with her dog outside my office, some sob story I forgot maybe her parents kicked her out because she's a lesbian or an atheist or some fake persecution complex like that. I would feel guilty walking past her with my $4 croissant and $3.75 coffee from the fancy place around the corner. I'd avoid eye contact.
I sometimes think about offering to take her home and treat her to a hot shower with my l'occitane bath products, a nice home cooked meal, a comfortable bathrobe, and then maybe sexual favors, nothing painful or humiliating (unless she's into that).
But then I realize she doesn't want the help. She likes being homeless, playing the victim. She probably has sex with the fucking dog.
So now I glare at her while I walk past with my not-even-breakfast that costs more than what she ate all day yesterday.
>>7155627
I agree. I'd rather help the "drunk on the same corner everyday" than these kids who think it's somehow "cool" or "hip" to be homeless.
>>7154897
Not that guy, but I'm the Quaker guy from above.
I've known a few people who've ended their homelessness but only one without extraneous help beyond handouts and spanging. This guy was ingenious.
He was nineteen at the time, from a very, very low class family in a terrible area just outside the city. His family kicked him out for being gay.
But he did it. He got himself a place.
How?
Well, first, he bought cheap-o baby wipes to give himself pseudo-baths in restroom stalls. He also had dental hygiene products with which to care for his teeth.
Secondly, he got himself a PO box.
Third, he saved up a bit for a dress shirt and slacks.
And, finally, he worked up a resume with help at the library, which is where I met him. I did volunteer work at the library helping inner city people with no computer skills learn to computer. While I mostly dealt with kids in an after-school thing we ran, he was one of the few adults I helped, as well.
Smelling clean, with fresh breath, a neat shirt, decent slacks and a mailing address, he got himself a job. Of course, he's one of the lucky ones who actually had valid, government-issued identification.
He opened a bank account, saved money and, finally, found a room to rent and he got himself off the street.
Good for him.
But this is simply not possible for many homeless. One I've talked to a few times has told me that she can't get a job to get herself off the street and she's right.
She's in her 50s and has never worked beyond prostitution in her youth.
>"How can I get a fucking job, huh?! What am I gonna put on my resume? Ho?"
For most homeless, getting a job is impossible due to unavailability of regular bathing opportunities, lack of work experience and, first and foremost, lack of valid, government issued identification, often due to IDs they may carry being long-expired.
The longer one is homeless, the likelihood he or she will ever leave the streets approaches zero.
>>7155627
You sound like a psychopath.
>>7156195
Why? Because he didn't help a lazy freeloader?
>>7152785
act like a bitch, treated like a bitch. free life lesson for you, oatmeal boy.
you really wanna help these people?
it seems the former or currently homeless in this thread are all a bunch of cunts. holy shit. you niggas need to freeze to death.
>>7152820
I dunno about your area but the local food bank I used to volunteer at gave out free little can openers, so I would assume most of the folk in this area can open a can.
>>7156299
I think they're mad because you thought about fucking her. You must have triggered some fat landwhale that nobody ever thinks of having sexual reasons with. She is probably blogging about it right now on tumblr.
Honestly, preserved food or any food with a long shelf life. Stuff like canned goods, beef jerky, pop tarts, bottled water, fruit cups, etc.
>>7152771
instead of soup how about chef boyardee with a pop top, cheese crackers/poptarts, trail mix baby wipes or those small alcohol prep pads to clean with
socks/fem hygine
