I’ve volunteered to help the homeless in downtown Salt Lake,
and I’ve been accosted by panhandlers there. Oddly, they don’t seem to be the
same people. Spend a few hours with the first group, and you’ll come away with
the impression that those who work with them daily must be saints. Many are
victims of serious mental illnesses. What most of us would consider the very
basics of hygiene are beyond their grasp. The people asking for handouts on
street corners are a different matter. They may have sad stories scrawled on
cardboard. They may wear tattered jeans. But they’re definitely not unwashed or
unhinged. A closer look often reveals nicer shoes or a better manicure than I
can afford, which may be why the Church counsels missionaries and employees to
offer food (if they wish to give something) but not money. The first can do no
harm; the second likely does no good.
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