Helping the Homeless: On-the-Go Bags
This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I once had coffee with a homeless man.
It wasn’t planned or anything. It just happened when he sat uncomfortably close to me at a Starbucks in Chicago. Here I was sitting in Starbucks with my caramel mocha, Bible open having a quiet time, belly full from breakfast and blatantly ignoring the homeless man right next to me. After a mental battle of how to respond to his invasion of my bubble, I figured Jesus wouldn’t ignore this man so I shouldn’t either. I looked up, asked him his name, and started talking to him.
Two hours later we parted ways. I left that conversation with an entirely new perspective of the homeless. This was years ago but two things have really stuck with me:
1) One of the hardest things about being homeless and on the streets is not being acknowledged. As someone in need, it is worse when people simply ignore you and pretend you don’t exist rather than simply being blatantly rejected. He told me he’d rather someone make eye contact and reject his request for money or food than to simply pretend he doesn’t exist.
2) When I asked him what were the most helpful things someone could GIVE him he told me: 1) A night in a hotel. It gives a person a chance to shower, shave, sleep in a bed, and feel like a human. 2) Water and socks. Water made sense to me but socks? When I asked him to explain he told me how a lot of his time is spent walking. If he doesn’t have socks or they are worn down too thin, he would get blisters quickly. Not good for a person dependent on walking with no first aid kit.
Fast forward five years.
I am driving my warm minivan away from the mall on a very cold evening. I pull up to a stoplight and find myself practically face to face with a cold man standing on the corner with a sad sign asking for food. My mind is driven back to my morning with my homeless friend, and I am struck at what little I have actually done since that conversation.
I’m fully aware that I can’t fix the problem of homelessness, but I shouldn’t allow the feeling of helplessness to keep me from doing something, anything for the people I come in contact with.
This is where the idea hits me: what if I were to always keep a bag of goodies in my car specifically ready to hand out to homeless?
So, instead of just thinking about the idea and talking about it, I DID it.
*Update* Recently, a production company, Foreground Productions made a three minute video documenting my story and the idea of making homeless bags. Here is a short video sharing my story.
I went to the dollar store and $30 later, I had enough stuff to make six goodie bags for the homeless. You can be sure the bag includes socks and water too 🙂
Here is what I stashed this round of bags with:
- A bottle of water
- A pair of socks
- Trail Mix
- A toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Ibuprofen
- Kleenex
I made up six bags of these items and put three in my car and three in my husband’s car. One is currently underneath my seat so I can easily grab it while driving. The other two are in the back of my car so I can easily re-stash when necessary.
If you have kids, this could be an awesome way to teach about caring for the poor and thinking about what their needs may be. It would also be fun to involve them in stuffing the bags and giving them away. My daughter is too young for this right now, but I hope we are still giving our On-the-Go bags away when she’s old enough to comprehend what we are doing.
I’ve had these bags in my car for a few weeks now and had the opportunity to give one away the other day. I hope and pray it helped him in some way. If anything it communicated, “I see you. I care for you,” which according to my Starbucks friend, is one of the best things we can do for the homeless.
This is such an awesome story & very inspiring. I definitely will try this out with an additional bible tract or Gideons Bible so as to share the word of God with them. God Bless you for what you do Polly.
Thanks so much!
Great ideas! Be careful when giving out medications, however. Just because it’s OTC doesn’t mean it’s safe for everyone.
For example, NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, should always be taken with food to avoid risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Since the homeless do not always have access to food when they feel they may need to take the medication, this can put them at risk for GI bleeding.
Another example is Tylenol. Those with liver impairment should not use Tylenol and neither should those suffering from malnutrition as they lack the necessary components to metabolize the drug in their bodies, thereby producing toxic metabolites that will cause liver failure.
Also, do not store any medication in your car, even in glove boxes and under the seat. The heat will degrade the medication.
These are just a few examples, just to bring awareness that not all OTC medications are safe for all. Especially in this patient population who has limited access to healthcare and may not know their complete medical history, giving them some OTC medications can cause more harm. I would suggest talking to your pharmacist about what may or may not be appropriate for this patient population.
Ali M., PharmD
Oh, I have been wanting to do SOMETHING tangible to help those I see on the streets and felt badly as I drove by without being able to help in some small way. Sometimes I will have a few dollars on hand and give that way, but I felt like there was something better that could be done. This is it! Not only will I keep some in my car, but I think this is something that we would like to somehow incorporate into our business. Buy a certain product and a bag of supplies for the homeless? Will have to come up with a name that would be encouraging, but I’m excited about the possibilities and the ways God can use this. Thank you so much!
So glad you are going to use the idea! It’s crazy to imagine the actual reach this post is having out there. Love it.
Ironic as it may sound, at church yesterday they showed pictures of our youth group giving out lunch bags to the homeless on Saturday and how touching it was. Then today I came up to a stop light and there was homeless veteran. I myself am a veteran and I could not pass this man up. I remembered that earlier when I looked in my wallet I had 3 crisp dollars (odd because I never keep cash on me). I rolled down my window and gave the man the only money I had and with a God Bless you from both him and I had to start explaining to my nearly 5 year old twins that we needed to pray for the man to get a safe home soon. Then I stumble across your post on Pinterest….this can only be Gods way of directing me to be more involved and I wanted to thank you for such a wonderful and blessed idea to give to those in need and help teach my children to be active and care for others. Thank you and God Bless you!
Oh wow, what a great story! It’s been a nice tangible way to show the homeless in our town that they are not forgotten. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but we also include now a flier to a Christian ministry in town that provides a “hand up” to people in this situation. It helps them find a home, trains them for the work force, provides parenting classes, etc. They told me that the bags our church hands out with these fliers in their top referral! So, you might keep that in mind if there is something similar where you live.
Hi there,
I actually had the SAME thought & idea here in South Dakota. It was mainly in Sioux Falls where I have encountered numerous “homeless” individuals over the years. Keeping a little bag? of much needed supply to hand out if ever the situation arrived. A homeless man approached my car once while I was waiting in traffic, I said I’d be right back. Got him a take-out meal/drink & gave him a few bucks. I don’t really plan to buy many more fast food meals, but I really did have this same thought about having things to give to those in need as the moments arise so “randomly” & you just wish you had the right thing to give for comfort, ect. :))
There are a lot of homeless people where I live and I also feel helpless because its hard to help everyone. We are not well off so giving out money isn’t always an option but I love these care packages! It would be much easier for us to stock up on 5-10 of these beginning of the month and hand them out. I agree with not keeping water bottles in the car, it can be dangerous. I also think I might include $5 gift cards to fast food restaurants when I can, that way they can get multiple things from dollar menus.
Agreed and agreed! I love how we can all put our brains together to make this project even better than our original idea.
or $5 gift card to the Dollar Tree or Dollar Store so they can grab a few things they might need 🙂
Freeze water bottles and put 6 in a lunch cooler. By end of day they are still cold some days with ice still floating. Nothing like getting ice cold water on a hot day. Plus you will always have water available for yourself or family. Walmart sells painters drop cloth plastic sheets 9×12 in .7 mill and 3 mill thickness. Hand these out with 30 feet of string to make an emergency shelter.
I think that the gift card is a nice touch, but please be aware that gift card fraud is very prevalent these days. Sometimes a clever thief will clear a gift card of all its funds as soon as it is activated, and before it can be used by the recipient.
My son (13) and I do this. It is life changing to talk and visit with the people we hand these out to. This is what we include currently as it’s already getting hot in AZ: (we have reached out to family and friends to help with the needed items and have a packing party every three months – we pack 50 bags and everyone who helps takes a few to hand out)
Summer List
Non-food items:
• Ball caps, bucket style hats, or wide brimmed hats
• Sunglasses
• Lip Balm
• Gel filled neck scarves that you wet to keep cool
• Small Puzzle books
• 1 pair socks (new)
• Travel size baby wipes
• Travel tissue packets
• Emery Boards
• Small Deodorant
• Band-Aids
• Washcloths
• Small paperback books
• Small sewing kits
• Shoelaces
• Sun Screen
Food Items:
• Gum
• Granola bars
• Slim Jim’s
• Snack crackers
• Individual size bags of pretzels, trail mix or snack mix
• Individual sized Crystal Light
• Tuna or chicken salad kits ($1 each @ dollar tree)
• Hard Candy
• Small packs of cookies
• Water
• Gatorade or Powerade
• Juice boxes
• Individual applesauce cups
Wow, what a great list and inspiration!
Thank you for the list!
I love this idea! I have found myself wishing I had something other than money to give since it is illegal to do so in our city and I feel like money doesn’t really help the person anyway. Now I can have something ready to go.
Great, glad we could share it. My 4-year-old loves to find the homeless people and remind me to give him/her a bag. So sweet!
This is a brilliant idea. Just be careful with the water. When bottled water heats up in your car (say during the summer and its 100 outside), it can leach harmful chemicals into the water. Maybe bring a water bottle with you, but don’t leave it in the car. Just grab one when you leave the house. It’ll become a habit quickly and you don’t have to worry about what is in the water you are giving away
Yes, good reminder Megan. I was thinking the same thing this summer. I think I’ll remove the water bottles in mine and replace with something else. Maybe a small gift card to a close-by fast food restaurant, so they can grab a drink and snack?
I Love this idea, I am always looking for ways to help those I needs and this is one that I will use. The story is very helpful I even shared it on Facebook, I think when other ppl can understand a persons point of few they actually are open to help.
Thank you so much for this idea- I just got back from the store after reading your post.
Be a blessing.
This is an AWESOME idea n I’m so going to do this. I don’t ever have cash on me n feel bad when I can’t give anything. This makes perfect sense.
Keep up the great job!
Great story. I always try to give food whenever I can. One thing I was told by a homeless man was that he didnt have any teeth and wasnt able to chew the granola I was offering him. Just something to think about with the trail mix
I’ve never thought about that, but good point. Maybe a soft granola bar instead? Any other ideas of something that can stay in the car?
I think those small cups of applesauce would work well and are shelf-stable, so they can stay in the car. Also snack packs of Jello and pudding, although they aren’t as nutritious as apple sauce.
Apple sauce is a good idea!
Thank you! I forgot about the dental issue. I had granola bars in my packs. I will now replace them with a softer food item.
Another great thing is to buy ponchos or tarps; even the cheap ones help them; they not only help in the rain to keep them dry (important at night due to hypothermia), it can be shelter or to keep all their belongings in a cart dry; it also helps to hide what they have from thieves. I have handed them out for years and am always thanked profusely.
That is SUCH a good idea. I will for sure add that to my next round.
We just made these again this morning and I wish I had seen your comment before purchasing the items. Thanks for the helpful suggestion.
We started doing this a few months ago. Our girls love this and fight over who get to hand them out. We are trying to tread the line of being loving and not enabling bc there is a massive homeless community here, and the convos we’ve had with so many. We want to help them have a better future ultimately, not just give them enough for today. We have started finding our local shelters to share that info with them and are even willing to call a cab or give a ride. We see the same man every day in the same spot. We have given to him a few times and now we smile and wave. And one lady told Jon she begs for enough for a hotel room that night, and has been in the same one for 3 years! How do you help but not enable. Encourage job independence, but not seem heartless? And how do we teach our kids not to be hardened to this community? Anyway, love this idea!
Thank you for the ideas Polly & Rachel, I was thinking of putting some bags together with my Bible study girls for them to have handy, practically showing the love of Jesus to them. I came across Ray Comfort’s article here: http://www.onthebox.us/2011/07/so-what-about-evangelizing-homeless.html on sharing the good news with the homeless in this way and it is very good! Also a good reminder on not forgetting to include a tract in these bags as it is the most important need they have if they haven’t trusted in Jesus as their Savior.