for me, the mere thought that a person initiated an action that is not self-serving is reason enough for me to admire his capabilities. If that's all he can give, then my gratitude still goes to him.

One thing that jumped out at me was your “howls of protest” line . . . I feel the same way. Who are we to instantly judge and stereotype people based on their situation, and refuse to directly help financially? I understand that it can be a tough question, because I'm sure cash is often used in a way that's not beneficial, but the overly cynical attitude of most people on that subject is troubling.

I have a question that hopefully you or Mark could help me out with. I will freely admit that my passion for changing the world does not center around the problem of homelessness. So I'm probably not going to take that “next step” you talk about anytime soon. But I do live in a big city, and occasionally am approached by a homeless person asking for money. Sometimes I give, and sometimes I don't. But the problem is, it's not consistent, because I don't really know the best course of action in that situation. I want to be helpful and show that I do care, but I want to make sure to do it in an appropriate way. Any suggestions for me and my readers?

Thanks,
Nate

I agree the original question is interesting also. “Is there a wrong way to do good things?” Absolutely. There are many wrong ways of trying to achieve a good result. Ask any firefighter or other emergency services first responder. The article's closing statement poses a slightly different question – Should valid, constructive criticism “be reason enough to stop kind-hearted people from doing what is obviously a good thing in and of itself?” Well, I don't think constructive criticism or comments are ever meant to stop an activity, but they can certainly be intended to influence people and modify behaviors. So I'd say yes, even though kind-hearted people may have good intentions, it's valid to attempt to make them stop and think first.

I'm glad to see Mark's comment here – “I am NOT saying don’t feed people – I am saying DO NOT go and randomly feed homeless. It has little impact. Work as a team with your community and ALWAYS provide some kind of case management. …”.

I support Mark's comments on the original John Jory article and his detailed review at homelessness.change.org – he's right: encouraging unsupervised volunteerism out on the streets is naive, irresponsible and dangerous. I am a front-line outreach worker to the homeless in Toronto. I've trained and hosted thousands of volunteers over the years who hand out PB&J sandwiches (and other choices) to homeless people on the streets after dark (more than 10 years myself, and almost 20 years since our organization first started). I should be as offended by Mark's comments as anyone – except that I see the wisdom of his warnings. He's already done a great job of outlining his opposition, I don't need to repeat it – but I will add my own experiences

* Several cities and municipalities have outright banned delivering food to people who are homeless. You've seen the news reports. Their reason for doing so is flawed (and probably unconstitutional) but the fact remains, they see feeding hungry people as “enabling” and counter-productive. Even where the practice is not banned, relationships between city councils and homelessness nonprofits could be strained already. In Toronto, where we serve, the city issued notice to nonprofits already receiving city funding (we don't) to cease outdoor meals or face losing funding. They stopped. Fact is, the actions of a few well meaning, kind-hearted individuals could affect homeless services city wide. As an organization we are equipped to deal with ongoing city discussions regarding the criminalization of homelessness.

* What Mark called “case management” is critical. A couple of untrained, inexperienced people relying on the buddy system are just plain ill equipped for many of the types of encounters we have on the street. Many of our homeless friends have serious health challenges, both physical and mental. Does the PB&J program instruct volunteers how to deal with an agressive, bi-polar personality who thinks everything you say and do has a threatening ulterior motive? Do you know where to refer them? or who to call? Do you lay a sandwich down next to that sleeping, homeless person? What if they are not sleeping, but unconscious and unresponsive? How do you react when that person jonesin' for their next fix takes the day's frustrations (and their withdrawal symptoms) out on you? Naive and dangerous indeed. Do you ask them if they want some “food”? So do half the crack dealers in this city: “Food” is their code for crack cocaine, they're already standing on the street corners asking if people are “hungry”. Not everyone on the street is homeless.

* All of my street friends tell me they have gotten sick from eating food from well meaning individuals. Granted PB&J has staying power, but where are the sandwiches prepared and when? Who handled them? Will the person eat it right away? And there is a definite need for more than a sandwich. The need for a beverage is critical – dehydration is one of the main issues on the street, not suggesting water or fruit juice is irresponsible. Worse than the sugar in PB&J is the salt. Many of my friends out there say, “please can I just have a water or juice?”.

* I've seen groups of upwards of fifty youth, young 13-14 yr old teens, traipsing through crack central with only one lone adult counsellor leading the pack – “dangerous”?. On Friday nights in Toronto, these groups, usually church groups, leave behind them a wake of sleeping homeless people with sandwiches literally piled on top of them. Nobody has taken the time to see if that person needs anything else, or of they are even breathing!.

*Our outreach is actually not about the meal. No one in this city will go hungry due to homelessness – there are an abundance of meal programs at numerous shelter locations around the city. Even if there are not in your city or town, your zeal for volunteerism would be better served helping start one, stocking a food bank, or by supporting other existing charities – try building a house for Habitat or Fuller for instance. For us, the snack is just a calling card. Volunteers help us create a bridge of trust that allows the case management to begin and act as a a gateway to other programs we operate which can help them find a place to live, receive treatment and counseling and provides a positive way for staff like me to be out on the street much more often and develop positive relationships.

People have asked, “Well, what do we do when we encounter people who are homeless? Do we just pass by empty handed? Isn't a PB&J better than nothing?”. If you feel that way, then take the next step to make sure your actions make a real difference. Droppin a 25 cent sammie may make you feel better, but don't our homeless friends deserve more? I have a final question. Why not just give that homeless person some money? A dollar, two, five or even ten bucks. Tell them they can go and have a good meal somewhere. Oh, I can hear the howls of protest: “But they'll just buy drugs, cigarettes or booze!” – and doesn't that reveal the judgment we've already laid on them? Does your boss tell you how and where to spend your paycheck? Did that twenty bucks you got for Christmas come with a post-it attached that said “No Alcohol”? A smile and a friendly word is far more effective, I know – my homeless friends tell me. Better yet, donate that cash and your volunteer hours to organizations that are already working hard to effect change. Let's start treating the homeless as the valuable community members they already are – see the potential within and work to set it free. Peanuts are for the zoo.

Thanks for your forum and article, see you in the twitterverse -

canayjun

However, when I encountered the Peanut Butter Plan, I never saw a reference to the homeless – just the hungry. It's not on the pages at all. Maybe it's implied, but my thought was to help those who are hungry, homeless or not.

In 10 years of working in a downtown area in a medium sized city (with a mission and food kitchen), I saw plenty of people who were drinking their lunch (whether homeless or not) and who would hit me up for spare change. It got to the point that I started saying no, but I'll buy you lunch. Many of these people were too proud or too drunk to be served by the shelter, and some weren't homeless, but barely able to feed themselves. The reaction? “God bless you.”

In the town I live now, there's a couple of guys who are always hanging outside the grocery store and asking for handouts. They are always grateful for food. And there isn't a mission or an organization for feeding the homeless here.

I appreciate the insights you've provided here, hardlynormal, and wish you the best in your endeavors. In fact, if you use Twitter, hit me up there (@derekmarkham) to help publicize your messages any time you need to. Cheers.

And I really like the concept of checks and balances. Everyone has their niche and can participate in a way that's meaningful to them, but it's always good to keep an open mind to other perspectives, and learn from what other people are doing as well.

I agree – in this case, both are positive examples, not negative. And after this discussion, I can honestly say that I've learned a lot about a topic that I knew very little about before, and I will be better equipped to help in an appropriate way when I choose to do so.

Thanks for your thoughts, Shannon.

There are many different theories about how to get people involved in the issue of homelessness. Given Mark's background in TV production, I think it makes a lot of sense that he has chosen to use mass media to dispel myths about homelessness by sharing real, unedited stories of homeless people with the world. Jory John's idea isn't too different; he's using sandwiches to initiate face-to-face interaction.

Both of these guys' efforts are admirable. But at the same time, neither activity is perfect and neither is going to combat the root causes of homelessness. But that's not their goal.

Mark and Jory are doing what they can to people into this issue, opening their eyes, and trying to make them care.

To be honest – I think this is what Mark was getting at with his comment. It's not uncommon that a group will get behind the idea of making sandwiches, enjoy the experience, and become convinced that if they only make enough sandwiches to feed everyone in their city, then they're really doing something remarkable. I think Mark was trying to point out that distributing sandwiches has its place, it's not enough. Getting deeper into the issue of homelessness is absolutely necessary for making a larger impact.

On a side note, it's also not uncommon for advocates working for the same issue to point out the weaknesses in others' plans. It's actually really beneficial for keeping one another in check and being sure that the greater public understands the limitations of these ideas, though admirable they may be.

Sure – there are examples of wrong ways of doing good in the world. But I don't think either of the examples you provide above fall into that cateory.

RT: @hardlynormal @carcamper #homeless http://bit.ly/v5d6v what ya think? Comment: Right On. Food was never a problem. A $5 gas voucher was!

http://twitter.com/carcamper/status/5058966422

I invited Mark into this conversation specifically so he could share his point of view, and all of us could get to know him better, and hopefully learn something in the process.