Why is it that people always feel the need to give used clothing and uneaten foods to a third party intermediary rather than give it directly to the poor? It's not like they are hard to find. Perhaps they think they know what would happen. They start unloading food and clothing from their SUV and next thing you know there is a band of thugs hijacking their car, placing them at gunpoint, searching them for anything they can use to buy themselves a bottle of whiskey or a heroin fix. In certain neighborhoods this may very well happen, but not in any of the ones I've lived in.
When I was moving out of my house in San Diego, I walked down to the local Vons one morning with a bag of used clothes and another bag of food where there was a recycling center where the homeless would congregate to receive a small amount of money for collecting trash bags full of crushed cans. I offered them what I had and apart from some collared shirts and shorts which none of them had any use for, about half a dozen men took just about all the clothes I brought. Because some of the men had very few teeth left due to the fact they had gone for so long without healthcare, they couldn't accept some of the food I offered them such as some apples I was giving away. But all the food was taken and they evenly distributed it amongst themselves. They were all extremely thankful and appreciative. Actually later that day, I saw one of the same men I met earlier, wearing the red sweatshirt I gave him.
Compare this experience with what normally happens. You call some non-profit to come and pick up your stuff and that's that. You never hear from them again unless they call to see if you have more stuff to give away. You never find out who received any of the stuff you gave away and whether they liked it or not. As far as you know, all the stuff could just be sitting in a giant storage room.
I'd love to see a day when many more people apply the DIY mindset to helping those less well off than themselves. Especially if it involved acting locally and helping any people they might encounter on a daily basis, such as the guy always rumagging through trash at the supermarket.
