• ik5pvx@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    77
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    6 days ago

    Many years ago, I was with some fellow volunteers outside a popular shopping mall, raising money for a new ambulance. There were many people who could have obviously been able to spare a bill or two, but they were too full of themselves to even look at our faces, let alone the fliers we were handing out.

    Then one old guy with a bottle of beer in one hand and dressed like that was his only dinner came out of the shop, looked at us, and put his beer change in our bucket, saying something along the lines of “you do something important”.

    Made our day.

    • Cybersec@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      61
      arrow-down
      5
      ·
      6 days ago

      Those people who were “too full of themselves” might have their own problems, and they might also donate in other places unseen by you.

      • MediumGray@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        40
        ·
        6 days ago

        Ya, and I can only speak for myself, but I don’t have a lot to give to charity so when I do it sure as heck isn’t random. There’s far too many scammy charities out there for that, I don’t donate anything without at least a little researching first.

        • shane@feddit.nl
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          18
          ·
          6 days ago

          This seems plausible, so I searched and found this on the Wikipedia:

          Various studies have examined who gives more to charity. A study in the United States found that as income decreases, charitable giving increases as a percentage of income. For instance, the poorest fifth of Americans donated 4.3% of their income, while the wealthiest fifth donated 2.1%. In absolute terms, this translated to an average donation of $453 from an average income of $10,531, compared to $3,326 from an income of $158,388.

    • groet@feddit.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      33
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      6 days ago

      raising money for a new ambulance

      JFC

      Also doesn’t an ambulance cost like 200.000$? How many “bills or two” were you expecting.

      • markstos@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        6 days ago

        IIRC, The first ambulance for Reid Hospital was donated by a cycling club, the League of American Wheelman. This was around 1905.

        Why cyclists? They had been the ones advocating for better road conditions at the time.

        A number of hospitals still run as non-profits and accept donations.

      • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        6 days ago

        I was a treasurer for a rescue squad that operates solely off donations. We did not go out in person to solicit donations. We had a very organized mailing effort that went to the community, on top of folks just being rescued, and feeling compelled, I guess, to give back a little.

        Ambulances cost a fuckton. Not just to buy, but to maintain and use. We always said just pulling out of the garage was $100. And we were all volunteer so it’s strictly maintaining the rigs.

        The squad continues to operate, but they are a dying breed, nearly extinct at this point, which is a shame but understandable.

      • Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        5 days ago

        Assuming this happened in the US, I’d outwardly be kind to the volunteers but inside is be screaming, “buy your own fucking ambulance!”. As much as they charge us to ride in one, there’s no reason to ask the public to buy it for them, too.

  • answersplease77@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    edit-2
    5 days ago

    at airport when I was a broke student on my last dollar, I booked the wrong ticket home. the only choice I had was to buy a new one one for $2000. I went out the airport door, sat on the floor, put my head down between my knees and started sobbing silently and hopelessly because I felt the whole world was against everything I try to do. Then out of nowhere, a lufthansa airline employee told me to come inside and changed my ticket for another that works for just $200. I know that employee put themselves in trouble to save me. until today I wish I could pay them for what they did. they are the reason that I’ve done and continued to do many silimar deeds for strangers since.

    • Agent641@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      5 days ago

      Many travellers don’t realise that you can get very cheap Lufthansa flights if you agree to fly the plane.

  • stupidcasey@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    arrow-down
    43
    ·
    6 days ago

    Let’s play make it unwholesome, I’ll start:

    He was expecting you to buy him something more expensive out of the kindness of your heart the ~$2.00 strap was an investment, he just didn’t expect you to be so cold as to take a homeless man’s last dollar and not repay the kindness.

    • astreus@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      36
      ·
      6 days ago

      Nah, let’s not. Dicking on the unhoused is the very definition of punching down.

    • skisnow@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      5 days ago

      I don’t think it’s unwholesome to hustle for an artist management job, I reckon if he’s helping the guy out then as a manager he should be getting 10% of busking earnings…

        • Cruxifux@feddit.nl
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          6 days ago

          lol I hope so, because from what you said it SOUNDS like you lead a homeless guy on with relationships and gave him false hope of having a home so you could bang him for a week.

            • Cruxifux@feddit.nl
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              6 days ago

              lol no I didn’t think you’d intentionally tell a story like that here but just the way you worded it made it sound like that.

              • blave@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                6 days ago

                I dated him for almost a year. We were pretty close.

                But he loved heroin more than he loved me, so the relationship couldn’t last.

                But, I did originally meet him in Union Square, Park when he was homeless. That’s how we originally got together.

                As I mentioned before, I think about him often. I miss him.

                • Cruxifux@feddit.nl
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  ·
                  6 days ago

                  It’s not that he didn’t love you as much as heroin man. It’s that the heroin was stronger than he was. Addictions are stronger than MOST people. It’s hard to get away from. I’ve been there, I was lucky enough to have the willpower to get out.

        • djmikeale@feddit.dk
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          6 days ago

          Yes please, I don’t particularly care what community we’re in, bring on more stories please!