I would take the guitar/karaoke buster off your list. He’s not asking for a handout. He’s a worker providing a service and asking that you pay him for it if you find it desirable. Not all that different than the hotdog vendor, taxi driver, or even CVS pharmacy.

I would give it to #1. But I can’t resist the temptation to say, please give to homeless shelters and soup kitchens instead of directly to the homeless. The money does so much more good that way.

By experience on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, I tend to drop cash in the musicians/magicians cups first. But I did hand over a fiver to a person in a wheelchair last week.

I’m most likely to tip a street performer (like the three teens playing carols on their brass instruments last week), mostly because I like what they add to the ambiance of the city. (But they have to actually perform, however raggedly — the guy who sits by the south gate of Temple Square with his big tip bucket, breathing into and out of a harmonica, gets nothing.)

I’m least likely to give to anyone who shows the slightest degree of aggression. That includes anybody who rattles a cup at me, anybody who dictates what aid he will or will not accept, and anybody — like the guy who approaches me with a so-called compliment (we’re strangers — the only possible compliment he could give is on my physical appearance, and unsolicited personal remarks from stranger is creepy to the max), and anybody who is obviously trying to manipulate me (the panhandler sitting in the wheelchair with the walker next to him — okay, which does he need? probably neither; the panhandler with the row of a dozen prescription bottles lined up in front of him — okay, then you are not homeless, and you have, or pretend to have, better access to medical care than I have; and the so-called homeless guy with the backpack and dufflebags on the sidewalk next to him, all of which are in pristine condition and show no signs of staining or wear).

Okay, actually, I’m not inclined to give to any of your examples, except street performers.

Oh, Temple Square is far from the street soliciting capital of the US, much less the world. We lived in DC for six years. I worked downtown for the first two years, and there was a large number of solicitors, mostly of varieties 1-4. And, yes, I’d give (as prompted and able) to all of them, though I had a special fondness for the performers.

We also had people who would walk into our church (Chevy Chase building, in Maryland but just across the street [Western Ave] from DC proper) looking for help. As I was the bishopric member over welfare, they would be directed to me. I’d give them money (out of my own pocket), though I’d usually make them sit through Sacrament meeting first (they tended to show up just before it started).

I served my mission in Central America, and Benjamin’s words haunted me even then; I didn’t often have money to spare, but what I did, I usually gave to kids. Though I’ve had ups and downs, I’ve had a pretty comfortable income for the past 15 years, and if I’m going to err in whether to give money to someone else, I’d rather err on the side of charity; after all, that’s what I hope the Lord will do with me. ..bruce..

I’ll look for the banker in the nice suit, and give to him. It’s the American way!

Comments like #9 always make me wish I had made it clear in my own comment that giving directly to strangers on the street is far from the only charitable opportunity open to me, and while I almost never give on the street, that doesn’t mean I don’t contribute elsewhere.

Didn’t the Church used to have little signs around temple square telling people to donate to the homeless shelter and food bank? Did they get rid of them?

What floored me were the investigations from several years back where some of the panhandlers were making *bank*. i.e. it wasn’t a small amount of money they were taking in. That may have changed if things have gotten more out of hand. (And may be why more are there) I’ve not been up to temple square in some time though.

As others have said, anybody who thinks Salt Lake is the panhandling capital of the world has never been to New York. Or DC or Chicago or Sao Paulo or Amsterdam. Although the highest concentration of panhandlers I’ve ever seen was on Victoria Island, Vancouver.

The biggest determinant of whether I’ll give is whether I have cash in my pocket. More often than not, I don’t. That said, I usually try to give to street performers. (In fact, the second she hears one, my four-year-old looks to me or my wife for money to give.)

In general, I believe that giving to nonprofit poverty organizations is a better idea than giving to people on the street but, at the same time, the occasional $1 donation to someone on the street isn’t really going to break my charitable giving budget.

And Clark, while I’m sure there are people who rake in the cash (“rake,” of course, being a relative term), I think they’re probably in the minority. Maybe a guy with a prime location at the Times Square subway station, but certainly not most panhandlers.

Ardis:

My sincere apologies if my comments came across as ‘more generous than thou’ — I was simply trying to respond to the post. No comparison with you or others was intended.

The simple truth is that for the last 15 years or so, I’ve made a comfortable living (it’d be even more comfortable if I were a better saver/investor). During the time we lived in DC, that was especially true. I usually had cash in my wallet, with a whole lot more in the bank account, and I often felt that I had no real excuse for not giving money. I tried to be both discriminating and inspired — but I figured that if I erred, I wanted to err on the side of being generous. Didn’t always succeed, but I tried.

Nowadays, living in semi-rural Colorado and working from home, I have very few opportunities to give handouts. ..bruce..

Sam, that was back when it was just becoming a problem and I think many people gave instinctually (or guiltily) precisely because of King Benjamin’s comments.

I assume now that there are so many people have become more numb to it.

The problem is that giving them money incentivizes them to solve their problems that way, making the problem worse. It’s far better to give to services that help people in a constructive way. (And yes, I’ve worked in soup kitchens and the like here in Utah – it’s not like there isn’t a lot of charity done here)

Give liberally, you won’t regret it. If they’re ripping you off, that’s on their heads.

I give a generous fast offering because that way I know I’m helping someone and not getting ripped off.