I was watching the news one night. And they were talking about panhandlers. They were saying to give money to organizations rather than to the homeless person. Well, if your heart said help that person, that is what God is telling you to do. If your heart told you to give it to an organization, then find one to donate to.
Through my experience of being homeless for five years, most of the the organizations are needing the money to pay their workers to find resources to help people. So that means that the homeless person isn’t getting anything from your donation.
Now I want to explain to you the difference between Street Sense vendors and panhandlers.
1) Street Sense vendors are people who are homeless, or were homeless, but got a break or help to get off the streets. We now need some type of income to either get off the street or stay off the street. We distribute Street Sense newspapers as a job for income.Trust me, it ain’t easy sitting or standing out there asking people to help us for a donation for our papers. Some of us even give our testimonies, write poems, or draw cartoons for the newspapers.
2) Panhandlers ask you for spare change or monies for whatever reason they need it.
Don’t let your mind or friend tell you that the person will only buy drugs or alcohol, because your heart has already told you to help this person. And that person has to answer to God if he or she uses this money for any other reason other than what they told you they needed it for.
Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
So I would take a moment to thank everyone who support Street Sense vendors. The paper tells you how to donate to help Street Sense as a whole or to the vendor specifically.
To help me, my name is Scott Lovell, Vendor #445
Thanks to all.
