The following is a guest post from my dear friend, Melinda.
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You’ve read the signs. “Homeless – anything will help.” “War veteran – homeless and need food” and the ever impressive “Why Lie? – I want money for beer.”
Any of these sound familiar? We drive by these kinds of signs frequently in our lovely town of Portland. I always feel the tug on my heart, wanting to help but not really knowing what to do. We are supposed to feed to poor right? But how does that really work in our culture?
It seems to be the common sense approach to not hand out cash to those down on their luck. It isn’t really a good idea to give anyone your hard earned money when you have no idea what they are going to be doing with it. I sometimes have perfectly good left over food in the car that I wish I could hand them but feel embarrassed to give them leftovers. So what is a bleeding heart supposed to do?
I ran across this post and decided this was a great solution to the problem! Gift bags for the homeless!
Get a basic brown paper bag and fill it with helpful food and toiletry items you have acquired for free and hand them out to those you see on the side of the road. You can keep a couple in your car and use them to make someone’s day. Instead of trying to find something to look distracted with while you sit at the light, anxiously avoiding their gaze, you can simply pull out a bag and hand it to them with a smile.
I have been downsizing my stockpile recently for many reasons: lack of space, desire to use more natural products and no time to go shopping for all those deals. This has motivated me to renew my energies a bit and go after some of those great deals for things that I don’t use but would be a great blessing to a homeless person, Things like deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste, granola bars, sunblock in the summer and maybe other things they may not need but would probably enjoy, like gum or lotion.
This is also a great way to encourage your kids to help those in need. They would probably love to hand a bag out the window, give a smile to someone and say “God Bless you.” And they will likely do it with much less embarrassment than I would!
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Now it’s your turn: How do you use the items in your stockpile to bless others? How can you use couponing to teach your children generosity?
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this post. Although I have only been couponing for a few months, we are beginning to build a stock-pile and this is a perfect way to give back. All it takes is a few minutes of forethought. My brother spent time homeless while he battled a mental illness and drug addiction. I definitely have a place in my heart for those that are on the streets for whatever reason it may be.
May want to check the laws first on this. I was pulled over by a policeman and given a $50 ticket beacuse begging is illegal and giving them something is considered now to be illegal.
It was a goodie bag too-not money!
Liz: That may be true in your area. In Portland, it is a protected right to panhandle on city streets, freeway on-ramps, etc.
Liz-that is so sad-really doesn’t seem right. Glad to hear it’s not in my area-thanks Angela.
Its SO nice to see someone else who has the same heart to use their couponing skills to serve others. My husband is working with a group within our church to help organize a barbeque to feed the homeless. We personally, have collected over 5o packages of hotdogs at $1 each to use at the event. The idea behind this event was to reach out to those people that are so often overlooked. To serve them and let them know that we care and they are not forgotten! I personally took this opportunity to serve these individuals one step further by putting together “care packages” with the basic toiletries to pass out to the individuals at this event. I took the idea to the leaders at my church who in turn took the idea & ran with it!! They have taken up a special collection so that my husband and myself can go out and purchase the items needed for these bags. The goal is to make at least 150 of these care packages (50 each) for men, women and children. I am SO EXCITED to be able to serve people in this way. I have been doing the couponing “thing” for over 10 years & greatly appreciate all the new tools that have come out over the last few years that have enabled me to use my grocery dollar more efficiently and in turn use those skills to serve others. We are a family who struggle to make ends meet ourselves but coupons have made it possible for me to provide for my families needs as well as well as reach out to serve others. I know that even though I may struggle there are so many other people who are struggling more. I want to serve those people. I thank God for this opportunity
I am happy to donate my stockpile to a shelter or other organization but I’m too nervous to hand money or food out the windows. I’m probably paranoid, but just never sure how they’re going to react. I have, at times, felt compelled to give certain items to specific people but usually prefer going through an organization.
Cindy – Our Kids In Discipleship ministry at Sunnyside Adventist Church in SE Portland (105th & SE Market St) would be happy to accept your extra personal care items, especially toothpaste and deodorant. Our group has been serving Portland’s homeless for past two and a half years by providing personal care items once a month in conjunction with Living Hope International’s free Sunday breakfasts at O’Bryant Square. We place the personal care items (we include washcloths, socks, hats, gloves. sewing kits and reading glasses also) in baskets and give out bags so that each person can select only what they need, which reduces waste and litter. Please feel free to email me at sjmiller.home@comcast.net if you or anyone else would like more information.
Cindy-I have done it many times-even go up and talk to people by a shopping center and have never felt uncomfortable-I have always gotten great responses. That said-I would never do it at dark, or in an isolated area-always is in a public place.
I am rather on the cautious side-so would encourage others to try-it really is quite easy if you just hand them something through your window (be smart and have the door locked).
Hi Sally! That’s great! I will email you
@ Liz- what city/ state do you live in? We have so many people begging in Portland- that’s pretty ridiculous that you got ticketed for that.
I recently showed up at a local (Lynnwood, WA) food bank run by a church to make a large donation. The staff was overwhelmingly thankful as donations are low. I also took hygiene items to a domestic violence shelter for women. We all should give a little as there is always someone else who has less than we do. Thank you for posting this awesome reminder that giving back is part of a great society.
I love the idea of sharing with the underprivileged but I strongly belueve it should be through an organization. There are so many scams by people who don’t need help as much as those who reach out to shelters. I saw two teens asking for money to get to France. Puhleeze! Many go home to houses like ours.
Just a thought.
I never give money-and quite frankly have several times offered food/toiletries to people who initially say-”yes they need anything”-but somehow don’t follow through in having me meet them to give them what I have-so I know they were probably looking for money, for reasons I most likely wouldn’t want to support. Yet even so I still think you should offer food/toiletries to those on corners, because maybe they really do need-if nothing else, some human contact, to let them know others care.
I would add organizations are great to give to also!!
Moutain View Community Church in Oregon City is sending a team to Rancho Santa Marta in Mexico in 10 days. They are hoping to bring as many toiletries as they can to support the kids that live in this orphanage/school. Check out their website. It is a great organization: http://ranchosantamarta.org/ . If anyone is interested in donating part of a stockpile I would be more than happy to deliver it to the church for you!
My church http://www.olympicviewbaptist.org/index.cfm does these brown bags and encourages these types of items to be put in them. We have a tween and young adult program that is assembling these type of bags to give out.
Toiletry items:
bar soap (sample size only, e.g. hotel size) shampoo (sample size only, e.g. hotel size) conditioner (sample size only, e.g. hotel size) lotion (sample size only, e.g. hotel size) mouth wash (sample size only, e.g. hotel size) tooth paste (trial size only) tooth brushes (e.g. dentist samples) dental floss (e.g. dentist samples) deodorant shave cream disposable razors lip balm feminine hygiene products
Different donation places (missions) prefer different items. Some only want sample sizes, while others will take full size bottles to refill the sample sizes with. It really helps to call your local places to see what you have that will help them out the most.
I recently learned-that if you are helping truly homeless people-that sample sizes are all they are able to carry around. Makes sense, once I heard that-but had never thought of that before.
wonderful suggestion!!
My church has a homeless outreach and the homeless requests are most often cans of soup (like Chunky Soup which is a hearty soup, with a pop-top, and easily heated over a fire) and socks (needed year around since they walk so much). Those are both simple to keep in the car and hand out while at the stoplight.
Thanks for the ideas-I always want to know what is truly helpful!!
I have a local SHARE house about a mile down the street from us. When it was super hot last week, I took my cheap danimal yogurt that I got (all 12 packages) and froze them and took them down to the share house. They loved them! They said they had 20 kids living there and it would make their day when they say those
What a great article about sharing!!
I was able to get my hands on that Johnson and Johnson coupon and purchase many of the small first aid kits (and get the $1.06 overage at WalMart ). I was then able to donate them to a friend who just went on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. The kits may be very small, but to those who have nothing, they are a great help and blessing.
We are struggling financially ourselves, due to my husband and I being disabled, so this was a way I could donate to others without spending anything but my time and energy.
Also, our church has an “Under the Bridge” ministry to the homeless in downtown Salem, and we collect the trial size soaps, shampoos, personal items, etc. to distribute when we have a lunch for them once a month, and to donate to the Union Gospel Mission and Women’s Shelter. (Those Carefree pads and the upcoming Playtex tampons would be great items to donate to a women’s shelter).
When you bless others by sharing with them, you will always feel good yourselves also!!
In fact, when I get feeling depressed about my own situation, I find some way to do something special for someone else and in turn I feel uplifted!
I love your giving spirit! PLEASE READ. Unfortunately, many working the corners are taking the money for purposes other than what they state on their signs. Many have found it to be easier than job searches/holding down jobs. I read an article about a couple that park their car 2 blocks away, work 2 separate corners on separate streets and make an average or over $50,000 per year tax free. They own a nice home in the city and were interviewed on condition of anonymity. They average $35 an hour TAX FREE. I’ve seen many who are wearing shoes I couldn’t afford, hair nicely (recently) highlighted, expensive backpacks behind them, expensive mountain bikes along side, etc. Please consider giving where the homeless/nearly homeless can use your donations the way they are intended – shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, homeless missions, homeless veterans associations, Salvation Army – instead. Maybe let them know that the Salvation Army will help them, no questions asked! I DO like the idea of giving goody bags!
I love this post. I have had loved ones living on the streets before and I was so thankful that there were people willing to share the heart of Jesus and feed them physically and spiritually (regardless of if they deserved it or not)….just the way Jesus died for us when we did not deserve it. It kept my loved ones alive and God moved, saved and delivered and now they are able to do the same for others (always praying that God will continue to move, save and deliver). God is always able, but its great to read stories of people being his hands and feet!
Thanks for sharing-I always hope that I will help this way also-so it is encouraging to hear.
Imago Dei Community Church also has a ministry to the homeless on Saturdays. My husband and I used to be the leaders before having kids but I am putting aside many travel-sized free items, or free toothbrushes to give away at their Saturday meal. We give away goodie bags at Easter and Christmas, but if anyone wanted to help me we could get something going more often.
If anyone is interested in giving or helping, please contact me. daily24@hotmail.com
Lisa
This is a wonderful article that blends what this site is all about.
Frugal Living NW is a great resource for saving money through careful planning and couponing.
Adding on this easy method to our regular weekly processes, and doing this simple thing to charitably help out the seriously in-need folks in our area, is a thoughful way to make an impact.
Also, taking a step away from hoarding, and the generally single-purpose tunnel vision represented by the extreme couponing segment is a good thing that benefits the spirit, and diminishes a potential addiction a bit.
Here in the Ballard/Fremont area of Seattle, we are a test bed of nonsense these days for the various smart young folks from Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and a bunch of start-ups who are working on a variety of apps as a part of their 10% projects.
As a result, it is a common experience to go to the three local test-beds (Ballard Fred Meyer, 15th Avenue Whole Foods, and the Fremont PCC), and find shelves methodically wiped clean by the crews of smart people from these companies taking their projects to the logical maximum extremes to test boundaries.
These folks all read the four main couponing blogs here in this area (including Frugal Living NW).
The Fremont Google-ites on their project comitted a while back to just this type of recycling of items to the homeless, and have been seen doing this at places like the Mercer corridor. I’d like to push the other smart young people at the other companies locally working on their app development to also expand their commitments to include using this bag-out-the-window approach too (along with formally pledging to follow the Google-ites lead of sending all purchased products to the local food banks as standard practise, in addition to working with local stores to pre-order caseloads of product, perform their app modification tests during low-traffic times, and formally move away from the hopefully old-dead-and-despised practice of the previously common five shopping carts moving in tandum down the various isles like storm troopers).
I have confidence that the young, smart, intelligent people working on these projects will recognize impacts and join the with these best practices to help out those in need in good fashion, along with minimizing their ongoing impact upon all us common everyday shoppers struggling to stay within our budgets, with our limited energies, in the most efficient way.
Thanks again for an appropriate and timely article here on Frugal Living NW.
–Bill In Seattle
Bill i am moving to the seattle area soon could you please let me know what the four main couponing blogs are for the area. Thanks Carolyn
In re-reading previous responses to this post, a few people mentioned feeling a bit uneasy about just opening up the car window, and handing things off to unknown people at an intersection.
Quite understandable, as frankly, a small portion of the people holding up signs kind of scare even me at times (and I’m a tough ‘ol retired dude with a lifetime of skills dealing with scruffy people).
Here’s a secondary thought on ways to push forward the spirit of the post (contributing to others down on their luck):
Seniors these days, by and large, are basically just a very small notch above the homeless in terms of their ability to provide for themselves.
Find your nearest Senior Center around your community.
Often times they have a common table within their facility for just this type of basic needs donation.
I was reminded of this a couple of days ago when I visited my 80+ year old mom up in Shelton, Washington. She took me over to her local Senior Center, and I was just blown away by the caring people there giving their time to make things better. They had a common table for food and staples donations, along with other specific events on their calendar to make sure that the needy seniors had another food resource to fill the increasing poverty gap.
Bottom line, the blog article was wonderful starting point to begin creatively thinking for yourself about how to make your own impact in ways that you feel secure and happy about.
–Bill In Seattle
I love this Bill! In America we often forget about our elderly instead of cherishing them and this seems like such an easy way to help them make ends meet and still allow them to live independently.
I always REALLY like to help those who could use it-but wouldn’t be the type to ask!! and I am thinking that this group commonly fits in this group-thanks for the reminder!!
I love this idea. I’ve been setting aside things I pick up for free (or nearly free) and have been wondering where to take these things. I will likely take most to the homeless shelter but will also make up these goody bags. So many transients are veterans or have untreated mental health issues. Thank you for reminding us to have an attitude of gratitude and to share our good fortune.
I think it’s a great idea to help others, but I have to say, most of the responses (and the post) are lacking in the true meaning of charity. The general tone of judging and patronizing really makes the giving about you, not the person receiving. If you choose what the person needs, instead of giving them what they say they need, then it’s not really charity. It’s self-serving. Sorry, I really see it that way. It reminds me of people donating all their used clothes to some organization helping disaster victims, when they don’t need clothes, they need food (or any other similar example). The giver feels great, and the recipient still doesn’t have what they need.
Having said all that, I’m not religious at all, but I do believe in helping your neighbor, and I think Sia’s post above is food for thought.
And yes, it can be scary seeing the guy on the corner who doesn’t look like “us” and not want to interact with him and judge him. You either have compassion simply because we are all human, or you don’t.
But if what they say they need is “money for food” then why not give them food? If that’s what they really need?
Because you’re choosing for them what they are supposed to eat, which is patronizing and takes away whatever dignity they may have left. I mean, sure, offer what you have, but don’t get all attitude if they don’t accept it. Most people (not saying you specifically at all) have the mentality that if someone doesn’t accept what they offer that the person isn’t really “that bad” off. Like, they’re personally offended that their help wasn’t accepted, which again points to the self-serving part of it. And that we’re the judge of what they should need and what they should take and be grateful that we came along.
So in your opinion if you have items we should ask first if those are acceptable??
I have couponed for about two years and have managed to get lots of free or inexpensive items. In addition to getting things for my family to use, I also keep several donation bags. I have one for items that are small but useful to our soldiers, our church sends care packages regularly and I can help. I have a bag for a family shelter that is completely supported by donations and when I score something bigger (a full size lotion or shampoo, toothpaste, children’s toy, etc) I put it in this bag. This shelter helps families get back on their feet and they “shop” at the shelter store. I can help stock the store. I also pick up things specifically for babies that can be given to the Pregnancy Resource Centers. The centers make up care packages for the new babies to help them on their way, from clothes, to blankets, baby shampoo and toys. This is a fun thing to do and allows me to help others. I like to do it.
I love when places let people “shop”. They get what they want and get to do something “normal” like shopping. Sounds like you have several helpful places to work with there.
Ok, I know this sounds mean to some, but I’m going to play Devil’s Advocate for a moment.
-75% of “true” transients are mentally ill. Due to lack of funding, they were not properly assisted by their social workers in continuing their medications and ended up as homeless. If we spent our time in advocacy, it would be much more helpful.
- Also, many who are homeless are homeless by choice-not saying all, but definitely some. I have known many and they told me they throw the food away, they want money and you can guess what they want it for. I have even seen a transient throw the food at our car after we drove away.
-When couponers get addicted to the deals to be had, they tend to clear the shelves, leaving nothing for others who are trying hard to deals to feed their families, only to become frustrated, disappointed, and exhausted from their efforts and eventually quit couponing altogether.
My answer? Advocacy for change and proper assistance, and of course resources for rehabilitation. Show them you care by going to where they live and asking them what would be most helpful, then work toward providing accordingly. Teach your new friends to fish, don’t just offer a fish to them. The problem of homelessness is way bigger than that, and take what your family will use from the deals and save some for the rest of us, please.
Whatever we give we should not boast or brag, giving in secret and not telling anyone is the best. What ever you give, give as if it was Jesus then you are truly giving. I like to give but will forever remember the Christmas tree that was propped next to my apt with a note that said dear single mom, my husband and I see how hard you work please have fun decorating with the decorations we got at the 99 cent store and buy a turkey with the gift card at Safeway. I will also never forget the kind Dr at the free clinic who paid for my prescription. I am now in a position to help others but my heart never forgets where I have been. Sometimes it takes being the poor single mom to really get it.
All of these posts are great, inspirational, and as a family unit, we do give back as often as possible, we have “family potlucks”, where a bunch of us get together to create an affordable nice meal-sharing in the costs and enjoying fellowship. I have a question, does anybody know of a website or foundation that helps low income families with low interest loans?