Truly great initiative Eric!
I used to never give money to people on the streets because my reasoning was: 'they are just going to buy drugs with it'. This changed when someone told me: 'isn't that what you do with your money?'
Since that moment I give more easily when I see somebody in need. For me, it was a true eye-opener.
You made me think I maybe should do something more this year.
Thank you, @exyle! I don't always give cash as often to the homeless but I will give them food or offer to buy them a hot meal. Here in America we have a huge segment of our population that are considered the, "working poor", people who work full time but make such a low wage that they can't pay for their basic needs, (food, clothing, and shelter). I like giving to these people, it eases their worry about how they're going to make "ends meet" at the end of the month when the bills are due. The way our system is set up here it's a real struggle for a large part of the population. Thank you for your comment and I'm glad you enjoyed the post!
In the Netherlands, we have a minimal wage for employees. If you work full time you can make the ends meet with your income. (but it doesn't mean you can live large, not at all). It makes me sad to hear about the working poor. Nobody willing to contribute to society aka working (full time!) should be earning so little that daily life becomes a struggle. It puts OPERATION: PAY IT FORWARD in a new light for me.
We learn about the minimal wage from people we spoke with in Amsterdam. That was one of many things we liked about your culture. It's growing more difficult to make a living here each year. My wife and I are seriously considering becoming Expats and the Netherlands might be on the short list for us!