I feel very sorry for the beggars where I live but also hate them with a passion. I can’t go for groceries without two or three hawking the entrance to the store, ready to barrage anyone who looks mildly compassionate with sob stories.

Worst I got taken was by a young woman who looked very in need of help, asking me to buy some food for her family. Gullible me thinks alright, I can spend 10€ on some kitchen staples so these guys don’t starve over the weekend, and took her into the store. Woman proceeds to absolutely stuff her basket with expensive meats, brand laundry detergent, diapers, to the point she literally can’t carry the fucking basket any more. Cost me almost 120€ in the end, about 6x what I spent on food for myself.

Ever since then I will immediately recoil from anyone asking for help beyond the “classic” sitting quietly on the ground with a cup in front of them, because my scam alert has been readjusted in a bad way. I suppose I resent the woman more for destroying my compassion than for the money she tricked out of me.

I semi-routinely get food for beggars. Gift cards, even. I don’t carry cash, but if someone says they’re trying to get enough money for food, I offer to just buy them what they need. They almost always say yes, and, especially in winter, you can tell it means a lot, at least in the moment.

On my first payday, post graduation, I did this for some kid who seemed clean by really skinny. He picked out frozen chicken nuggets, and seemed just so happy and grateful. That’s stuck with me.

I was sleeping rough first days in Amsterdam tired and hungry, when a guy I met who had not much himself invited me to his squatted building and offered me potato and onion soup and a glass of port, a place to crash for a couple of days. I will always remember that kindness.

Bit different but I used to cook for the homeless being homeless and later squatting myself for a long time.

In Amsterdam we had “Squat cafe’s” giving out vegetarian food for homeless people. We get the food from the street markets and cook up meals like pasta, bread and garlic butter, salad fruits and vegetables. Many market stalls throw a lot of food away and with some effort you can make a lot of people happy.

My wife and me (25 years later) bring food packets to the local charity program, last week we brought Christmas presents that they will give out next week. The project here is run by volunteers who collect food from the local supermarkets and distribute that to people in need that don’t meet the criteria to apply for the official food bank. There are no questions asked, you can take a certain amount of products and there is advice where to get further assistance or government support.

It is hard to see people waiting for 2 hours in front of the building to get some food. Gets me triggered but I feel we are doing something good for them, although it is limited by only donating instead of volunteering.

I think I’ve given money to a beggar once. This one said it would go straight to booze and I though fair enough.

I don’t get it