I filled up my car today at the Exxon station on the corner of 18th and Broad. While I wouldn't call this Exxon station "ghetto", it certainly has its share of unsavory characters (especially when I have to fill up after work, at 4 AM.) Today a panhandler I recognized as "the crazy dancing guy who occasionally shadow boxes in front of my bar" approached me as I was leaning on my car waiting for the most expensive fill up ever. He gave me a high five and did one of his little jigs for me, then he asked if I could loan him some change. I realized that since I've declared myself a soldier on the front lines against Richmond poverty last month, I've not actually done a single thing. So I gave him a buck, which sort of made me feel good because for the most part I only drop a few bucks on a bum when there's a girl in my immediate vicinity so I can show her how generous and caring I am... Of course now I'm talking about giving a bum a buck on my blog, so I can't exactly call what I did earlier a selfless act anymore. Nevertheless, I hope he spends that dollar on something useful like a Mega Millions ticket for the drawing tonight, or half a pack of Newports.
On a more serious note, I would actually like to get involved with helping the homeless, although more in a "attending a discussion meeting with other middle class people in an air-conditioned boardroom", as opposed to actually serving food in a soup kitchen or doing something worthwhile. Any suggestions?
6 comments:
It's up to all of us to teach homeless dudes about the fist bump, or better yet, the polite nod. For some reason they always want to shake hands and shit.
You can help them by giving them smallpox-laden blankets. I think I can steal some from the American Indian Museum if you're interested.
Can you really get a half-pack of Newports in Richmond for a buck?
Offer to run a bar at Food Not Bombs?
you need to realize too that most of the people holding signs on the street corners are not the real homeless in our community.....
a favorite comedian of mine said one time a bum hit him up for change, and he thought, if I give it to him, he's just going to spend it on booze or drugs....then he realized, "Wait....that's what I'm going to spend it on." So he realized that he shouldn't be so judgmental :)
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