Showing Kindness to the Homeless

If you follow me on FaceBook, you’ve followed along as I am sharing,  31 Kindness Tips, for the  month of March. Today, I wrote the following:

“Kindness Tip #11 – Yesterday I saw a man on the corner with a sign that said he was needing help. What struck me was how healthy and young he looked. It broke my heart as I passed in thinking that he had reached the point in life where he had to be on the street corner begging for money. Many times they have signs saying they will work for food. I don’t know about you, but I’m not taking anyone home and asking them to work and then feed them. I don’t think that is too wise.
What I believe to be the kind thing to do is to care and remember what my role is.

1. Have compassion. See what their life has become in the way of standing on a corner all day expecting to get money from people. That makes me sad.
2. Pray for them as I pass. I always wonder if they have children somewhere that know where they are. What must their life have been like growing up. Only the Lord knows where they have been. Pray that they can find their way.
3. Offer help. Give them money or food when I can. I don’t worry what they will do with it. When we give in Jesus name, we just give and trust that it will help.
4. I decided that I’m going to make some bags to carry in my car with some items that may help. I’ll use a large ziplock bag and put a water bottle, snacks, and some money. I’ll put the money in clear site in case they want to throw the bag away. I’m also going to put a note of phone numbers to local shelters, police, etc. with quarters taped to it. Do pay phones still exist? I thought of a small Bible, but may just put a track in it instead.
With warmer weather coming, I’m sure the corner will be filled with opportunity to show kindness.
I know there are people out there who are not honest and are not safe. But, when someone looks right at you and is asking for help, how can we just ignore them? I’m responsible for me, not them….I want to have a kind heart, not a hard heart.”

I was determined to complete this project today.  I did and prayed over each bag and now they will go in a larger bag in my car.  Hopefully, they will be a welcomed gift for those that are on the streets asking for help.

The items that I included in my gallon size Ziplock bags are:

1 Small Water Bottle (I wrote, Jesus Loves You! on the label)

1 Package of Hand Wipes

1 Protein Bar

1 Chapstick

1 Scripture Card

1 Track

1 Mini Bible (very small Bible with key scriptures in it)

1 $1.00 Bill

1 List of phone numbers/addresses for Police and area shelters with 2 quarters taped to it.

I wrote on the Ziplock bag, the words, “Someone Loves You!”

This is something small that I can do and maybe it will make a difference somehow.

I would love to hear what you have done or plan to do to show kindness to the homeless.