Yes. Because I've been there.

I do - just small change in most cases and if they then go and spend it on alcohol or heroin, at least they got the money given to them rather than having to carry out a (possibly violent) crime to feed their addiction.

I give more to female beggars. Life on the streets is tough, but it's a whole lot tougher if you're a woman.

It depends.I was at a pet store last week and a begger was out side with his dog. I did not trust the begger but felt sorry for the dog and gave the guy a whole case of caned dog food.

I do. There is a homeless man that I see around town and when he gets low on insulin he holds a sign up that says "need help paying for meds". I always try to give him money when I see that he's low on medication. It doesn't bother me that some people would try and abuse my kindness. I gave for the right reasons and my conscience is clear. If someone is pretending to be in need then that's something they will have to live with.

Not always. But I figure if the change in my pocket is gonna break me, I've got bigger problems, so what's the harm? I've also taken a hot meal to a group living under a parking garage when it was ridiculously cold outside. Least I could do.

I donate food, clothing and household items to people I know in town who need it.

We call them panhandlers in the US. I don't donate because it's impossible to tell those legitimately in need from those who are unwilling to help themselves. I have seen professional panhandling take place where people were dropped off at strategic locations by a large van and placed. Really?

I would not use the word "beggars" but someone down and out, needing assistance or help.

I live in a small town and haven't seen someone asking/needing money since moving here from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in 1986. There we saw them often, usually along the beach. We have homeless who have a place to go to sleep at night, but they cull the dumpsters (garbage bins) for things to sell. The Salvation Army serves lunch daily and some churches serve dinners. The resident Pastor at our local college offers a dinner every Monday night during Fall and Winter semesters for anyone who feels like joining for religious fellowship. We don't see many who have nothing and nowhere to go, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

If I have loose change in my pocket I'll sometimes donate that if the person asking isn't obnoxious in any way.

I give out dog food to those with dogs obviously. I always carry food in my trunk, along with toothpaste and stuff for the human

I’m pretty much broke because of, well, capitalism. I carry a case, or at least several bottles, of water in the passenger compartment of our work truck. When we hit a red light in Houston, especially in the spring and summer, I’ll give them a bottle or two. Costs me less and it’s a fundamental need, especially in the miserable, humid, mosquito infested, drenching, lingering, inescapable misery that is the Houston area all times from a few weeks before the vernal equinox until several weeks after the autumnal equinox. Sucks here outside.

I do not judge. Need is need.

If somebody has the fortitude to stand by the stop sign on a xway off-ramp in cold rainy weather they must really need it. I give a buck or so.

Not money, but my daughter has friends who volunteer at a homeless shelter. Occasionally she asks me to donate something that is urgently needed by someone there, shoes, coat, whatever.

I live in a country with an extremely generous welfare system, we have free medical, we have lots of emergency assistance programs, I work on many of them myself. I do not believe it is good to feed peoples habits.

Usually tickets to public transportation or a meal.

Yes, when I can afford it. Sometimes I really feel bad when I do not have anything to give.
I just feel pity for them. I think nobody should be brought to begging for survival.
And I consider beggars a major sign that something is wrong with society...

I keep ziploc bags in my car. Each bag has a pair of sox, several individually wrapped personal wipes, a mylar blanket, and $5.00. I give them out whenever I see someone with a sign along the road where it is safe for me to hand it out. I've gone around the block to hand it out. Why? Because I don't judge and because I can. I also have a stack of $5s in my car to hand out as needed. I might make a difference, I might not. But I tried.

Sometimes I do. It makes me feel good to do acts of kindness and acts of consideration for those who cannot fend for themselves.

I give to beggars when I have the means to do it. I am poverty stricken myself, so I do not have much to offer at times.

I live in a mecca of the West, a hotbed of tolerance in the midst of the bibibble belt.
I expect to be homeless one day due to persecution of baby boomers. I try to make friends for when I join them.

Sometimes I do.

So driving around Omaha today there is a guy on a corner with a sign. They cannot step into traffic so I drove extra so I could hand him a bag. He REFUSED it! I don't know what he thought I was trying to give him, I don't think he was fully cognizant. He kinda rambled and there was lots of car noise. But he refused my bag, I even put an extra $5 in it becase it was such a crappy day. He had odd old shoes and odd pant, not jeans. I was hurt, but I realize it may be a symptom of whatever disease he has.

To say that social service will take care of these people I say "cracks." There will always be some folks that fall in the cracks. There are some too ill to deal with the system. Have you ever been to a shelter? Sometimes they are scary places, and frequently families are separated. Many people are just a paycheck away from being homeless. I do not, cannot, and will not judge. I will help when I can, but sometimes you just can't help.

When the mental hospital were closed it forced thousands of mentally ill onto the streets. More are on the streets every day. The dearth of mental health care in the US is attrocious. I work in short term disability claims. I talk to people frequently who have to wait weeks if not months for appointments with counselors/therapists. They can't work, and I can't pay them unless they are receiving appropriate treatment. There are few things scarier in the US than being poor, because the system is set up to keep your poor. If you throw mental health issues into that mix it is a nightmare.

When I lived near McChord AFB I frequently used to see panhandlers near I5. One of the things I notice is patterns and shapes. Soon I realized the sign that was being held today was the same sign as a different guy had yesterday, some of the letters had unique shapes. I was not and still am not sure what to make of that. Was it a panhandling ring? That was 20+ years ago. Sad that we haven't fixed our problems homelessness and poverty in that time.

Just don't have much to give. Plus no cash on me. If my life and circumstance were diffferent..but right now they're not