Does your local bus have tokens (instead of handing out actual cash)?

Subtract the cash fare and add ride vouchers, if they exist in your community. Otherwise you just bought them a Molson Ice or Milwaukee's Best.

Don't forget some protection. As a few here have already stated, they might not like what you're implying and may get violent if you try to get them some help.

If you hand out packets with cash, there is a good likelihood you'll attract lots of people looking to take advantage.

I attended a public meeting on this issue here and the problem we have is not just them loitering around outside the Northmart store or the Tim Hortons Food Court but seeing them build beach shacks all over the place when they get kicked out of the homeless shelter The reason they get kicked out of the shelter is because Someone is comming out of jail and is not allowed to return to his home community most often because he is too dangerous to kids This is often the case with known pedophiles and other people who commit sex crimes against women and children They claim that theese monsters need a place to stay Fine I agree with that much so send them back to their own communities instead of dumping that kind of garbage in my back yard

Alright, let me give you some perspective here. I used to be homeless. My biggest thing when I was homeless was that people treated me like crap, like the gum stuck to the bottom of their shoe. Not because I was a criminal or anything like that, but just because I was homeless. The second I asked anyone for 50 cents, I was ignored, talked down to, laughed at, and trodden on in general. I would have the police called on me just for sitting somewhere. It was like, the second someone found out I was homeless, boom. Their attitude toward me did a complete 180, and I was less than the soap scum on their bathtub.

However! There were a few people that I chanced to meet who treated me like a real person. I say that exactly how it sounds. I swear, their attitudes made me feel like I was Pinocchio, and I had just became real. A woman once bought me a pizza dinner at this place, and SAT DOWN TO TALK TO ME. We had a whale of a time; we laughed, told stories, and it was probably one of the best nights I had had in quite awhile.

Another woman bought me a bus pass, and talked with me for awhile. It was so nice to be treated well. A guy once bought me dinner.

Now, I will be honest, there isn't a whole lot you can really do when someone comes up to you and drops their life story in your lap. You can listen, but that's about it. Some of what they have to say may leave you gobsmacked, but listen and wish them luck with whatever it is. Ask that particular homeless person what THEY need specifically.

Back in the day, you know what I needed big time? Something to keep my clothes dry when it rained. It didn't rain often in San Diego, but it did rain from time to time, and it SUCKED for me. Vaccu-seal bags are perfect for this sort of thing.

Blankets are usually another good thing. Can't count the times another tramp stole my blanketries from whatever hidey ho spot I had them in, and then I had jack diddly. San Diego winters are nothing like Oklahoma winters, but it's all relative. Cold is cold, no matter what the severity.

SOCKS. UNDERWEAR. SOCKS. UNDERWEAR. SOCKS. SOCKS.

Socks.

Underwear.

I used to buy them by the pack back then, and I would wear a pair for a few days and then toss them, grabbing a new pair from the pack. Shoes can also be beneficial, but I understand if that's out of your price range.

If you can get your hands on MREs, I loved those. Portable can openers (military style) was something I would not leave camp without. I could buy a 54 cent can of peaches or beanie weenies and pop that sucker open right there and eat it. Indispensable tool, that little thing. Tarps are good, and cheap. I had a tarp and I used to wrap my blankets up in it if I thought it was going to rain. Saved my blankets from getting moldy more times than I can remember.

Hope this helps.

I can relate to an extent.

I used to be homeless during one very, very hot summer. And it was a pretty intense experience, mostly due to the heat, but people definitely treated me with much less respect and it was impossible for me to find work. The best part is that there were even a few homeless people that begged me for money, and I gave it to them, only to ride my bike through town at 4 AM to find them sifting through massive wads of cash.

I won't be giving homeless people money anymore. I don't even have money anymore to give. The things that The Spirit listed are definitely very important.

Some other things to be aware of.

Don't be discouraged if a homeless person politely refuses your offer of food or drink. What a lot of people who have never been homeless don't understand is that homeless people are aware of the huge anti homeless sentiment in this country, and as such, are wary that what appears to be an act of kindness from a stranger could actually be an attempt to bum bash them. Bum bashing is not just sick people who cruise around looking for homeless folks to beat up for no reason other than them being homeless; I have known a person who got strychnine poisoning after accepting food from a stranger.

Thus, I usually stay away from buying products to give out that could easily be tampered with. I usually carry sealed items with me that it would be obvious if it had been tampered with. Also, if I am approached for money these days, I will usually ask what it's for. If they tell me "food," I offer to buy food for them, anywhere they like within reason. No Chez Pierre, but if they want a sandwich from Panera, that's fine. Then they know it's fresh and hasn't been poisoned. I even knew a guy once whose dog was poisoned this way, by cruel people trying to drive off a few homeless people from their areas. The dog lived, but I bring this up because this sort of thing is a very real problem.

Strider: Good point about people not accepting food. I'd always just assumed it was admitting they were only looking to fund their next fix.

Zombie: You might keep an eye out for people once it starts getting cold. In a few cities, the police will give people rides to a shelter or somewhere warm. Call in anyone who looks like they're a night away from trouble. Or offer them a ride yourself.

Well... if you're out looking for homeless people to give supplies to... when you find them they aren't really looking for anything in particular...

Chef Boy-ar-dee has gone over pretty well for me lately. Pop top cans are convenient too.

I noticed the homeless in my area have been swiping a lot of those Dinty Moore and Chef Boyardee things this summer.

They're easy to pocket. And who doesn't like the chef?

Damn right.