Dear Reverend,
I feel so bad for the people I see on the street holding signs asking for money. I want to give them a dollar or some change, but I rarely have cash on me. My wife says I’m a sucker and they just want money for drugs or booze, but that can’t be true for all of them. How can I really help?
Sam Aritan (man, 52)
Dear Sam Aritan,
Feeling empathy does not make you a sucker, and you can tell your wife that I said so. However, considering the nature of human beings, you can be sure that some of them have ulterior motives.
The only way to be certain that you are supporting people who are really in need, and not subsidizing any substance-use disorders, is to donate to (or volunteer at) local food banks, shelters or other such charities. You could take it a step further and create a list of those places to hand out — a way of pointing folks to the available resources.
If you still want to give directly, go to the bank, get a stack of $1 bills and take a few with you when you go out. If you’d rather avoid giving cash, buy a handful of small gift cards to local, inexpensive restaurants or coffee shops to give away. For the people you see when you’re in your car, make some bags with nonperishable snacks and travel-size hygiene products to pass out.
Don’t let anyone naysay your goodwill: Helping even a little can mean a lot to someone.
Good luck and God bless,
The Reverend
This article appears in September 30 • 2026.
