Find Anything Tasty In The Trash?

Sunday, as I ran out of my apartment to go to the Natural History Museum, I saw a man half a block away, walking toward me with red-tipped, white cane in hand, surveying the sidewalk in front of him. Immediately this reminded me, "Damn! I forgot my sunglasses." As I came back out into the daylight with shades on, I saw this same man flinch, probably because he thought I was going to chase him away from my garbage cans, as he rooted through them. He no longer had his sunglasses on and he watched me as I walked down the steps and passed him.

This past January I gave a winter coat to a homeless woman whom I saw huddled in an ATM vestibule. This act made me feel better about myself, but as just a single act, it was not much to do for the world around me.

I see homeless people everyday. I have people asking me for a handout at least every week. Only last Thursday, while standing in a restroom line at a TacoBell (I'd had a few drinks earlier and knew the trip back to Hobbiton would be a long one), a young man dressed like a punk first asked if I was in line for the restroom, then asked me if I had any money I could give him for some food. He was either drunk himself or on some kind of drug so I declined. Then he walked sheepishly over to the trashcans and started looking through them. I went home knowing I could have afforded to buy him something, but wondering if his situation was really dire. Sometimes I regret that I usually let skepticism win over compassion.

If I were to give the panhandlers on the street, it wouldn't make me feel as though I were doing any good. For many who beg it's done as a full-time job, and I see a lot of generosity, mostly by tourists and college students. At the same time I've seen and smelled several of the homeless talking loudly to no one I could see, and I realize that homelessness is often a product of mental problems. I feel bad for them, but I've known for a long time that giving money on the street is the most temporary of band-aids, and ultimately is not much of a cure for anything. In many cases, the professionals are doing alright, financially.

So now I'm on the hunt for a charity that I can donate to on a regular basis. I've looked at Catholic Charities USA, because I've heard that they are supposed to be good, but I'm not too keen on their belief that prayer is an effective means of donation. There is a list of charities that I have been poring over and I will probably start my donations after my next paycheck, but one thing that this reasearch has done has made me realize just how much need there is in the world. I won't be giving away the farm because, let's face it, I'm very selfish. I think, however, that I need to do my part.