I donate a good bit of money to formal charities. And having worked for many years in downtown San Francisco, I became used to ignoring panhandlers. But since coming to Charlotte, I find I have started handing out cash and food more often. I never set out to do it, but sometimes when I am walking back from buying lunch, someone looks hungry, so I hand over my lunch - I can definitely afford to miss a meal. This weekend, leaving Costco with a full truck of groceries, there were panhandlers on the street. Now, I know there is a reasonable chance these guys are not homeless, but you know what? I decided it was a chance worth taking, so I stopped and handed out some cash. I hope it went for a worthy cause, but I think it was a good thing to do, no matter what the circumstances.