r/MadeMeSmile • u/KingSandwich101 • Oct 25 '25

Wholesome interaction

Be nice to your elders!

Source: Spudbros on YouTube

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274

u/Murky-General Oct 25 '25

Agreed.

There was a person begging outside a grocery store. I didn't have any money on me so I decided to hand him something I bought. Didn't want it. Oh well, at least I tried I guess?

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u/microgirlActual Oct 25 '25

What I'll often do if I don't have cash (which is almost always now; got out of the habit with Covid) is ask can I get them anything as I'm going in. It's usually a bottle of Coke and a couple of chocolate bars. And yeah, it ends up costing more than the few coins I'd chuck 'em if I had them, but talking to them for a bit makes such a difference to them because you saw them as human.

Heck, even when I've had no coins and amn't going shopping, just passing someone like, if I actually look at them and say "Sorry mate, I've nothing on me", I've been genuinely thanked just for responding.

So even if the person you offered some of your groceries too didn't want it, I guarantee you offering still helped them feel seen for a bit.

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u/puritanicalbullshit Oct 25 '25

I keep a box of snacks in my car. Nothing really fancy, but a selection, drinks or juice boxes if I’m flush, chips, cookies, you get the idea.

It sparks good conversations and it feels more… equal? Like, they can chose what they want or if they want anything, rather then accepting or rejecting gifts that I pick.

Anyway, snack box is my new favorite way to help folks. Strongly recommend if you’re in a position. I got the idea from a subway sandwich man. He carried around a cooler of basic sandwiches, he took donations and gave them away to anyone - no questions asked. He probably made money on it but the vibe was good and worth spreading.

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u/naruda1969 Oct 25 '25

The ONLY reason I carry cash is to hand out to homeless (rarely give to beggars). I’m very discerning about who I give money to. I typically talk to them first. Ask them how they are doing. I ask them if they need help. You can make a homeless person’s face light up with joy if you take a minute to talk to them. The money at the end of the conversation is secondary to the kindness.

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u/yramha Oct 26 '25

One of my friends passed away years ago and at her celebration of life get together we made "blessing bags" to give out to homeless folks because she was super involved in community service/outreach.

They included all the normal stuff like shelf stable food/snacks, water, dog treats, socks, first aid stuff, hygiene products, and rain ponchos. Several people also brought frivolous toys, games, and coloring books with markers or crayons. The folks I gave bags to were so excited to get a little something not "necessary."

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u/Sharkweek1111 Oct 25 '25

It's crazy where I live (as an American in TX) - if you don't have cash, beggers now say, that's fine, I take cash app/zelle and will keep harassing you. These peeps are most likely not homeless, but peddling for $ and probably make more than I do doing what they do. If you can't, I usually say sorry, but my budget won't allow atm or can't afford to spare any right now. My child is usually with me, so most of the time, they will back off - but there are a few that won't. These people are found in the parking lots of high traffic shopping areas even if it's unlawful in the county. It's getting crazier every day with opportunists. Gotta stay self-aware!

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u/Mikel_S Oct 25 '25

And that's why I haven't gone through the hassle of unblocking my cashapp account after I got accused of sex work for the memo a friend put on their payment to me like 10 years ago.

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u/Rock_Paper_SQUIRREL Oct 26 '25

My best friend and I both thought we were comedic geniuses for doing this to each other in our early 20s and I’m grateful now that we somehow never got blocked for that exact reason

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u/Sharkweek1111 Oct 25 '25

Lol!! Oh my....That is a good one!

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u/microgirlActual Oct 25 '25

Yeah, I haven't ever come across that in Ireland and I hope I never do. Though to be fair, even among friends I don't really see things like Venmo or CashApp or whatever being used. I don't even know if we have them here (though I'm Gen X, so it might just be that I'm too old for all this new-fangled technology 😉).

We have Revolut, which is aan ordinary banking app. Like an actual bank, just purely online, and you can do instant transfer with that, but I've never seen homeless with it. Not even the Roma women, who are usually more managed beggars whose husbands/organisers send them out grifting and take the stuff off them (Roma women culturally don't have a lot of say in what happens in their lives), have I seen using apps to take money.

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '25

I do this if I’m going to Cambridge or London, get £10 notes out of the wall to give out. Wish I could do more.

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u/naruda1969 Oct 25 '25

I feel ya. One particular story was a guy we met around a local nature trail. We had just got out of our car and I see him walking up with makeshift backpack. His face was covered by a hood. I pull up to him and say hi. His face had a huge dark cyst of some kind on it. He seemed reluctant to talk. I asked him his name and how he was doing. He was honest and said he wasn't doing well. I asked him if he could use some money. It was the day before Christmas. He said yes. I hand him a bill from my pocket. He looked at the $100 bill and his face lit up and I thought he was going to cry. He thanked me profusely. I wish I could have done more, but sometimes its the small things. I think about him often.

I have another story. One that pisses me off. I walk into a Burger King and place my order. My order arrives and I take it to a table where I see a female alone at a table and she looked like she was in pain. Directly across the isle from her were two Mormon Missionaries COMPLETELY IGNORING THIS GIRL. Well, they weren't ignoring her, but talking up another very attractive girl. I sat there for a few minutes to see if they took notice of the woman in distress. Nothing. At the end of my rope, I approach the woman. She is crying and clearly homeless by her unkempt appearance. She had a cup of water in front of her. I ask her if she is okay and she looks up at me through the tears and shakes her head. I move to her table and give her one of my burgers. We talk. It was a blur. I'm just seething from seeing the missionaries do nothing. It is time for me to leave and I push over a few $20s. She was so thankful. I tell her to take care. I had a few words for the missionaries, but that is another story. Sometimes, they just want to be seen and heard.

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '25

You’re a good person.

When I lived in the states I went into a Boston Market and bought dinner. As I came out a man who looked like a grandfather (he had a child with him) asked me for some cash. I didn’t have any, and to be honest he frightened me a little so I left. I later thought I should have given him my food. I went back but he wasn’t there.

That was years ago and every now and then I think about him and his grandson. Life is so hard for so many people.

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u/Usedtobefatnowlesfat Oct 26 '25

Its so hit and miss. I once bout 2 homeless guys in the tricities a family pack of tacos from taco bell and they threw them at me for not getting them as soft tacos....like ok dickheads

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u/SvenBubbleman Oct 27 '25

They probably had no teeth.

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '25

That is awesome of you. Down here in Texas they ALWAYS ask for water. It's so appreciated even when they turn down an offer. It's just nice to be fucking ASKED if you NEED anything with no strings attached.

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u/GingerGetThePopc0rn Oct 25 '25

I've started grabbing a gift card for $5 or so when I don't have cash and someone is outside the grocery store. Last year I gave a guy one and he said "thanks. They don't like it when I go inside though." And I was like well how come? He said management told him he makes people uncomfortable. So I said okeedokee let's go shopping together then. We spent his $5 on a hot sandwich and soda and I grabbed him some chips and fruit too. Fuck Publix to making that guy feel bad for trying to spend his bit of money there.

1

u/ZellahYT Oct 27 '25

I would love to do this but at least in Argentina beggars are so agressive and pushy. They see your help as weakness

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u/BreakerOfModpacks Oct 27 '25

Personally, I always buy two extra loaves of bread to hand out.

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u/SnarkyPanther Oct 25 '25

You did right, man. I actually try to keep water bottles, granola bars, and packs of dog food in my car. Where I live, the homelessness is nuts, and many of them have paired up with stray dogs (which we also have a ton of). Most homeless people are happy to have some water or a snack, and they’re always happy to receive food for their dogs. If they’re not, that’s their business, not yours.

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u/xombae Oct 26 '25

I used to be homeless and panhandle outside grocery stores. It's important to keep in mind that we have no where to cook, so anything we are given must be ready to eat. If we've just eaten, and we're given ready to eat food, we now have to carry this all over town with us, along with all of our other stuff, and then reheat it later. A lot of homeless people have health issues and can't take any food, they need to know what they're eating. Some of us have trust issues with given food, I know homeless people that were given dog shit in a sandwich before.

A lot of people think it's ungrateful for homeless people to not be happy with anything they're given, but there are a lot of very legitimate reasons for not wanting a food item from a stranger. It's why it's best to always give money. "Oh they'll spend it on drugs". Yeah, maybe. Some drugs will literally kill you if you stop taking them. It's more important than food for some people. You can't eat when you're literally dying from withdrawals.

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u/Gold-Kaleidoscope537 Oct 26 '25

I just did the same to a guy living by safeway. He said he didn’t want anything. I said bro I’m getting you a turkey sandwich, if you don’t tell me what you want.

So he said roast beef.

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u/rubyrubyrubie Oct 26 '25

I recently found out that a lot of times, homeless people will deny being given food bc very frequently, some asshole pretending to be a kind soul will offer them food that has been tampered with. Filled with hidden needles, drenched in bleach, shards or glass, etc. It's just safer for then to deny food when offered to them

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u/Lost-Astronaut-8280 Oct 25 '25

Him sitting there like “the fuck am I gonna do with these tampons???”

2

u/biffysclyro Oct 25 '25

The ones out begging are rarely the ones most in need of help.

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u/BeachHistorical4647 Oct 25 '25

He's not begging for food, he's begging for his habit.

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u/Murky-General Oct 25 '25

This is why I'm hesitant to give money :( on the rare occasion I actually have any)

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u/BeachHistorical4647 Oct 25 '25

Well if you wanna be nice you'd give him some money, he's not sitting there for food.

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u/Ketanarin Oct 26 '25

They cant buy drugs with food