Basic desire to help others

I did a pop-up winter clothes giveaway for the homeless today. People were happy to get the hand-made crocheted mats!!
Then a very interesting thing happened…I was spontaneously interviewed by the Associated Press!
I walked past about 50 people and right up to four people sitting on the ground, which happened to be the Associated Press and a photographer doing interviews with the homeless. That's when they did an interview with me and took a photo.
The reporter asked me, "What do you think about the sign behind us saying, not to give to the homeless -give to an agency?
I answered, "The 50 coats that I just handed out will keep these people warm tonight - that sign will not keep them warm. I am here ready to help fill a need, by showing up on the streets where the homeless are - to help them survive another cold night. The needs of the homeless are not being met with overburdened agencies, they simply don't have the supplies needed. To make my point...I just donated clothes to the Men's Mission down the street who are in desperate need of any type of clothing. They have no clothes to give to these homeless people. I see this problem all the time.
I believe people in the community should be encouraged to talk and give to the homeless. Signs like this basically tell us to ignore "these people" and gives a false image that an agency somewhere will meet their needs - when homelessness is everyone's problem. Those who have and those to have not are all part of the human family. We need to get back to following our natural instincts to help someone when we see them struggling. When we reach out to talk with a homeless person we show kindness and that alone can give them hope to hold on. The self-esteem of a homeless person is obliterated when they live on the streets - they don't feel like they matter, or are worth it. So when we show up and express kindness, it becomes personal - person to person, and lets them know they matter because we care...that alone can encourage them to believe in themselves to make things better. It's just a good thing to do."