Day 2: Gave food to a homeless man.
Gave food to a homeless man, January 27, 2010
I was eating dinner at our student center (where they always serve huge portions) and was about to throw out my carry-out box when it became clear how ridiculous that action would have been. The homeless in the area are constantly checking trashcans and dumpsters for food that people throw away, and most of it isn’t in the best condition. So why throw away the container, leaving it to be found days later and rotting?
The best option was to eliminate the middle-man and breach the unjust wall between the well-do-to (which defines pretty much everyone) and homeless on my block; and give the food to whoever needed it straight off.
Event: I sealed the carry-out box of Chicken Korma and basmati rice with a fork and knife and wrote “I hope you enjoy!” on the top. I approached an older man who sits two blocks away from my apartment every day and gave him the box.
Reactions: Not much. Not that this surprised me too much, considering how stoic these city people are. He did take some interest in the food, asking me what it was. But I realized a little too late that I should have left a couple more pieces of chicken for him than I did. The food felt more like a large portion of scraps than a decent-sized meal, and I just wanted to give the guy some food, not inadvertently condescend to him.
Would I do it again? Yes, but definitely will improvements.
Cost: About 60% of my dinner. Probably amounted to $1 or $2.
Effort: No more than labeling leftovers before putting them in the fridge at home.
Time: 2 minutes or so.
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