The Sam’s Club parking lot wasn’t crowded when we stopped for a big box of K-cup coffee pods. As we walked in, I heard a voice, “Sir, could you get me a bag?” We turned and saw a young lady around the corner from the main entrance, standing by a suitcase.
Assuming she was homeless, I turned and said, “A bag of what?”
“No,” she answered, “Just a bag. A Sam’s Club bag.”
“You mean a shopping bag?” I glanced at my wife, we both shrugged, and I said, “Sure. We’ll be back out in a few minutes.”
Of course, you never come out of Sam’s with just one thing. I grabbed the coffee and some peanut butter while my wife found a pack of snack crackers for the grandkids. After glancing around the checkout area, I asked an employee, “Do you have any Sam’s shopping bags?”
She said, “No. We have lots of boxes. But we don’t sell any bags.”
“Okay. Thanks.” I wasn’t surprised. I kind of knew were this was going anyway. She was looking for a handout. We decided to get something she could easily eat, in this case a box of beef jerky strips.
She was still there when we walked out of the store. My wife offered her the food and said, “They don’t have bags here.”
The woman said, “I asked and they said they did.”
“Well, here is some food.”
“No thanks.”
Our grandson likes these, so they wouldn’t go to waste. My wife said, “She probably wanted some money.”
“Yeah, I know. But we’re not doing that.”
The topic came up in bible class. Helping the poor and homeless often comes up. The best way to help isn’t obvious. Someone said, “That guy with a sign on the street corner? He’s not poor. He’s got a cell phone and a big wad of cash in his pocket. My friend gives him rides all the time. He’s doing just fine.”
Another person added, “I was talking to the sheriff and asked him about helping people like that. Never give them money. Instead, support the organizations that feed, house, and help them get jobs.”
We encounter it every day. What’s the best way to help? The answer is rarely obvious.
Waite for it... 