Helping the Poor

If you want to talk about faith-based initiatives, I am in the thick of it. My grandfather has teased me to no end ever since he found out that I am the benevolence agent for the church where I am employed. He's always telling me not to be so hard-hearted. Technically, I am under the governance of the Benevolence Committee in this capacity, but the major part of the decision process is left to me. Here are some of the guidelines they have laid out for me--

• Photo Identification is required.
• There will be no distribution of cash money to any person.
• Certain monthly bills and other expenses are not our responsibility and it is not our policy to distribute funds for light bills, phone bills, rent or house payment, medicines, clothing, or motel rooms.
• We can help with groceries (up to $30), gasoline (not to exceed $15) and bus tickets (up to $30).

In addition to this the ladies of the church operate a food pantry that is mostly stocked with items for people who are homeless or traveling. Through it we distribute vienna sausages, beans, fruit cups, juice boxes, etc.

Unless there are very unusual circumstances, we only help a person once. That's it--one time.
Not once a year or once every couple of years, one time-period.

Yearly, the church budgets around $2000 for benevolence. We usually run out of budgeted funds by August or September.

On top of all this, I can honestly tell you that about 85% of the time I feel like I am giving out help to people who don't deserve it and don't really honestly need it. The rest of the time, I wish that there were some way to do more.

And by more, I mean, I wish that I could give those that really need our help better than the one time fix that we offer. Have you been to the grocery store lately? I can't get out of there without spending $50 and we only give them $30. A bus ticket for $30 dollars will basically only get you to the next state. I'm pretty sure that anyone traveling on one of those tickets is only going to the next town and the next church to ask for help again. And what happens when the half-tank of gas we provide runs out?

We don't offer these people any way out of the mess they are in. We don't offer any kind of solution. We don't offer anything that will really change the direction their lives are headed.
It's depressing, because when I really want to help someone all I can offer is a temporary fix, or even worse, just a band-aid to slap over the problem. Until you can offer people a way to support themselves, you haven't really helped them.

Now, I've told you about the people that I feel really deserve help. Let me tell you about the ones who don't.

I understand that there are people in this world that have not had the opportunities I have had. I understand that there are people in the world that have not been raised with good manners, or job-seeking skills, or even blessed with common sense. However, anyone who comes looking for help and is not willing to answer a few questions, does not deserve help. Anyone who shambles into my office, plops down in a chair, grabs a handful of candy from the candy bowl, and proceeds with a mouthful of candy to say, "Is this where they give out the food vouchers?" does not deserve help. Anyone who brings their neighbor and their best friend, and their best friend's mama, who all say, "Me too," when you bring out the application for assistance, does not deserve help.

The very large woman who drives up in a large practically new car, and talks on a cell phone while answering my questions, does not need help. Her friend that she brings back a day later doesn't need it either.

The guy who comes in asking for a bus ticket that's more than we can afford to help with, but gets food from the pantry and three hours later shows up looking for more food, does not need help. His friend that shows up with him two days later with money in his hand asking for help with a bus ticket, doesn't need it.

The cross-dressed man who comes in and tries to hit on the preacher does not need help with a bus ticket--unless it is to a psychiatric ward. (That was a day to remember.)

What's really tough about this is that sometimes it gets really scary. I don't know when or if one of the people that I turn away (and believe me I try to be very kind when I have to do this) will become violent. We have taken steps to make sure that I am never truly alone with these strangers, but there's always a chance that one could be carrying a weapon, or waiting for me when I leave to go to home. I don't want to think that someone would do this, but they are essentially trying to steal from the church. I wouldn't put it past them.

I can honestly say that on occasion I have given out assistance just to get people to leave. I have had to call the police several times. I have told some people repeatedly that they needed i.d. just to have them show up without it over and over. I have told some that we only help once, only to have them return over and over wanting me to make an exception. This is not easy.

So the next time you hear about faith-based initiatives replacing government assistance programs, think about the church down the street. This isn't an answer to this problem. It just puts it in different hands.

Until an organization can offer someone in need a job--there is no solution.