A few months ago, I saw a post on Facebook for these things called Blessings Bags (posted by a woman I went to high school with who is very involved now with her church). The bags were Ziploc gallon bags with hotel shampoos and soaps and a granola bar and a few other items, and they were meant to be given to panhandlers. Her church assembled them from donations. I've heard of this being done by Girl Scout troops, too.
We have a lot of panhandlers in Oakland, and there has been a huge increase since the Occupy Movement. They are typically punk white dudes who have decent bikes and a dog and they are reading paperback books while they hold up an "Anything Helps" sign. They used to annoy me but now I just figure they have deeper issues than I understand, and I accept their existence in the world. My kids, on the other hand, are always perturbed that I will not give money to panhandlers, and are not persuaded by my explanation that we donate to the county food bank and these folks can get stuff there.
After Thanksgiving, I took the kids to Target and told them to pick out some things in the Travel Size section that they thought a homeless person might need to feel cleaner and happier. They picked out toothbrushes and paste, handi-wipes, chapstick, sunscreen, moisturizer, and I picked out deoderant and non-alcoholic mouthwash. I also grabbed a package of tampons to make a woman's supply kit.
We assembled them that afternoon, but had not handed any out. All week, we have been driving past a guy near their school who has the sign I described above, and the kids have been asking to help him. The kits were in the way-back! This morning I remembered to bring them up front, and when we saw the guy, I rolled down my window. He saw me and reached over to grab the goodie bag. He yelled, "Thanks!" in a really happy-surprised way. I could not see him (I had a green light and needed to keep driving) but they kids went nuts, "Mom! He was happy! He said thanks!" They were clapping and laughing. I felt a bit giddy too. We all agreed that it felt really good to give something nice to someone.*
*A concept I have been trying to impart for 10 years without success.
Anyway, I wanted to share it, to thank Del Kramer, and hopefully to give you an idea for who to get your kids thinking about little acts of kindness and giving. I think they are now probably going to want to drive around giving out "survival bags" as they now call them.
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