Last year my sister told me a story that moved me. She came across a homeless irish guy, took him out to lunch and left him with some money. Now I wasn't that surprised because she does touching, random stuff like this frequently. In typical big sister mode I was clear about the potential danger of wandering off with a stranger. "But he was such a bright, cool guy!" she said "Just down on his luck." She told me he really appreciated being treated like a human being and I was proud of her ability to empathise with someone in a terrible situation. How often do people treat the homeless like something at the bottom of their shoes? Pretty often I'd guess. People act as if they're so far removed from it but you never know what series of events could lead you to be in the same position. So if you can spare some change, do and if you want to take it a step further, many charities have information on their websites about volunteering for them.
