When I didn't have a car and had to take an early morning bus to the methadone clinic , I would see this older homeless guy going through the trash cans picking out cans to take to the recycle/metal place. This was at like 6-6:15 am. I didn't go every day but the days I went I'd always see him. He was so so skinny, legs were like sticks, same clothes on every time I saw him, pushing his shopping cart with his few possessions in it.
But you know, I respected the fact that he made an effort. Probably how he got his morning fix...get enough cans to take to the recycle place when they opened. He'd never ask for any money either.
So one day I saw him walking up the street really slow like he was in pain ...probably sick...when he walked past me I said "hey I think you dropped this", and handed him a $20 bill. He looked at me, knew I knew he didn't drop it but was giving it to him and looked me in the eye and said "thank you so much".
He walked up the street with a little more energy...
I've been there, on days when I was so dope sick and broke and happened to find money I forgot
I had in a pocket, or someone loaned me a few $, and yeah even though I'm 95% sure the man went and copped....well, it made his day easier.
Anyway, mostly if I have change sometimes I'll give it...sometimes I really don't have it to spare, and I won't give to people who literally demand money as though they're entitled. I think the funniest was one time I had a dope habit and was broke and someone came up to me and started on the "can you spare $2 for the bus" while looking at me with pupils the size of saucers and broke out in a sneezing fit. I said "buddy I'm in the same boat as you sorry". Kind of funny to me at the time--like you are totally targeting the absolute wrong potential donor haha
But I think the reason I wanted to give the can collecting guy $ was just because I saw him all the time and he didn't ask, he just did his collecting ....