Excuse Me, Ma'am

Yesterday after Jazzercise, I had a mad craving for a vegetarian burrito with extra guac when I spotted a Chipotle on my drive home. I pulled in and, as I walked up to the door, I was approached by a young man with a plastic jug of change. I couldn't really understand what he was saying through his thick accent, but I gathered enough to determine he was collecting money for...something. I said my standard-to-these-situations "I'msorrygoodluck" with accompanying head shake & slight palm raise. I wondered briefly what the money was going toward as I secured my spot in line, but then mostly I focused on the delicious burrito goodness coming my way. On the way out, I smiled at the young man who had stopped me before, and he smiled back. Any guilt I had from saying "no" earlier vanished. 

Until, I was almost to my car, when I heard, "Ma'am! Ma'am! Excuse me, Ma'am! Ma'am!" I turned, and it was a different man, older this time, who was fundraising for presumably the same cause. His accent was even heavier, but with different origins, and our (his) conversation was longer. I looked at his shirt, and it had a paper sticker with something about drug addicts on it. All I really determined from his speech was that someone "needs help". His jug was filled with lollipops, as well as some change & a few bills. I whipped out my "Imsorrygoodluck", head shake, palm raise, and he walked away. On the drive home, I began to wonder if it would have killed me to give each man a dollar. My rationalizations were basically: 1) I didn't know if their cause was legitimate, and 2) I didn't know if the donations were going to the cause. I guess I could have spent more time asking questions, but it was dusk and, as a young woman, I get very nervous about distractions in parking lots.

By the time I unlocked my front door, I had concluded that I should have given them some change at least. Even if they were to spend it on something illegitimate, did $2 matter? But then I decided that maybe it wasn't about the money, maybe it was about the principle of the thing: I don't want to be a sucker. I don't want to be swindled. I prefer to send my donations to organizations that I've researched and have ties to. That's not to say that I wouldn't contribute money to a well-known organization just because they are stationed in a parking lot (e.g. Girl Scouts or The Salvation Army). Anyway, I think I definitely need to learn to balance my guilt with my principles, because this happens not infrequently.