Stop donating food

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While grocery shopping at Nations, a lactose intolerant friend of mine bought some cheese buns in the bakery section. Their odd behavior was explained when they gave the buns to a homeless person we’d seen outside of Jackson Square. This is an article about why it was wrong to buy that food.

Firstly, a disclaimer: I am not against giving to the homeless, nor am I against charity. I think we need more compassion in this world, not less, and generosity for strangers is a quality that should be fostered at every opportunity. However, some charity is better than others.

The philosopher Maimonides developed a hierarchy of giving, taking into account factors such as the willingness of the donor and the extent of their generosity. In his opinion, one of the most important factors is anonymity, with the more anonymous a transaction the better. This is not because Maimonides was an introvert, or because he thought that donors and recipients should not interact with one another (his highest form of charity is partnership), but instead the goal of charity ought to be the preservation of self-worth.

So where does buying bread for a homeless stranger belong on this list? Frankly, pretty low down. While Maimonides would award points for giving without being asked, the donor has not taken steps to preserve the recipient’s dignity. When you hand someone food that you bought specifically for the purpose of charity, you stumble across a problem: you infantilize them by implicitly saying that you do not trust them to spend money on things you approve of. Furthermore, often the things we choose to give are not the things that are actually needed. Cheap food, deodorant or a bar of soap can all be easily purchased at the dollar store, but money for prescription medication or a night at the YMCA are not things easily donated.

You may be worried that your money will be spent on alcohol, drugs or cigarettes, but if you want to help, you ought to give regardless. To do any less is to not acknowledge that homeless person as a human being with the autonomy to make their own financial decisions. If you are trying to judge whether someone is worthy of your charity, you should reconsider your definition of piety.

In addition, be wary of painting the homeless with one brush; living on the street is not necessarily due to addiction or alcoholism. The homeless community is more diverse than you can know. It includes women and children fleeing abuse, LGBT+ youth abandoned by their family and those who recently experienced cataclysmic life events. However, someone’s worth is not determined by their past choices, and you are not entitled to someone’s story simply because you gave them something. That’s not charity, that’s extortion.

In giving what you think is needed, as opposed to what an individual actually wants, you completely ignore the fact that the recipient of your donation is a human being with preferences, who may even be lactose intolerant themselves. We tend to lose sight of the fact that preferences and dislikes are a part of being human, and if you are going to give, it should be in a way that preserves humanity and dignity as best as you possibly can. Giving someone the autonomy to choose what they prefer is an important part of that. You want to make someone’s life better? Give them the financial power to decide what is most helpful for their unique situation instead of assuming you know best.

At this point you may be worried that if you open your pockets, someone will scam you. Maybe you’ve heard of a case of a beggar millionaire, someone so good at panhandling that they drive off in a Lexus at the end of the evening. I’m here to tell you that that is incredibly unlikely. If panhandling were that lucrative, everyone would be doing it. Instead of assuming the worst, show compassion to those around you that you can recognize may need help, treat them like human beings, not wayward children, and give money, not cheese buns.

Photo Credit: Chiot's Run Flickr Commons

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