"Be selfish, give a gift to a homeless person" -- Doc Gurley, San Francisco, CA

[Duncan Grant]

Would you like to do a little something to help the homeless in your city? For very little cash and minimal effort, this short article might help you make some very effective choices for a homeless person this season and after.

What To Give:

1) Earning power is primo. One of the best possible presents is something that helps a homeless person earn some cash. Consider buying a harmonica, recorder, or sheet music for the a cappella singer who starts to sound hoarse by the end of rush hour. If your neighborhood, like one in Berkeley, has a street person who paints tiny abstracts on rocks to earn some bucks, a set of acrylics or a handful of Sharpies could be a life-saver. Finally, anyone who’s ever had to dumpster-dive knows the value of some study work gloves, or a pair of fingerless mitts. But what if you don’t know someone’s talents? Never fear. You can still spontaneously give any homeless person a great present. Consider some of these types of gifts -

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5) Outdoor supplies. You’ll find a wealth of gift ideas in any camping section of a department store. Bungie cords (five for $2.99), sturdy metal clips (three for $2.49), duct tape ($1.99 a roll), and heat-retaining foil emergency blankets ($2.99 each) are all cheap, useful and fun things to toss in a gift bag. Stay away from knives (including multi-function tools) and open-flames (like camping stoves), both of which can get the urban camper in trouble. Polartec throws are really nice gifts, and there’s a wide selection this year to choose from. It’s best, however, to avoid cotton or fluffy blankets, which turn into a soggy wad in the rain. Both Target and Longs stock Polartec throws ($4.99-$9.99), but the cheapest high-quality throw is at Ikea (called Irma),($2.49).

6) Foot care. Foot problems top the list of miseries that plague people living on the street. If you lived and walked in the same pair of shoes/socks for days on end, your feet would disintegrate too. Trench foot has actually made a resurgence in this country among street people. You may be asking yourself – if it hurts so much, why do homeless people wear the same shoes/socks all the time? Well, if you go to sleep on the street without your shoes or socks on – they’ll be gone in the morning. Foot care items make thoughtful, inexpensive, and health-preserving gifts. Sturdy athletic socks, foot lotion, and manicure sets can be combined to make a theme present for your gift recipients this year. Packs of ten pairs of athletic socks or packs of three pairs ($1 at the Dollar General Store) can be broken apart to extend your gift-giving to more recipients. Manicure sets and sample-sized foot lotion are available at a wide variety of department and drug stores, and at the Dollar General Store too (which means you could put together two foot-themed presents for only $5, total!).

7) First aid kits. Nothing says you care like a tiny first aid kit in a bag. These kits usually include wipes, band-aids, and sample sizes of over-the-counter medicines like aspirin or acetominophen (Tylenol). Other than the pre-packaged first aid kit, however, it’s probably not a great idea to buy individual over-the-counter medicines as gifts, despite the fact that many street people suffer through colds, flus and bronchitis every winter. Why is that? Many people on the street have health conditions that mean they shouldn’t be taking one or more of these medicines on a long-term basis. Another approach is to give a drugstore gift card in $5-10 amounts. If you choose this option, be sure to pick a local chain, since many street people can’t carry all their belongings with them across town.




LINK: Be selfish, give a gift to a homeless person.

[Duncan Grant]

1. A kick for a good thing (nt)

:kick:

[EFerrari]

2. Kick

[me b zola]

3. K&R

[lapislzi]

4. This is great.

Thank you so much for sharing. Way better than throwing guilty cash at people.