Reaching out when someone is hungry

At various intersections across the greater Toronto area, there are often folks who will walk between cars stopped at a red light to ask for money. Sometimes, if I have some change, I will give it to them, hoping that they use the money wisely instead of buying a pack of smokes.

The problem these days is that I rarely use cash to pay for anything. I am often using my debit card to pay for purchases. Sometimes, I pay using a credit card.

On Saturday, it was different. There was a man at the intersection that I was stopped at. He was holding a sign saying that he was "very hungry."

The thought that someone is hungry is horrible.

I don't recall his sign saying that he wanted money. Hungry was all that was in my head.

On Friday night, I had stopped by a Starbucks on my way home to buy a two-pack of dark chocolate peanut butter cups. I quickly remembered that it was in my purse. I had used my mobile app to pay for this item, which had a label with my first name on it and the date when I had purchased it.

I grabbed the package, rolled down my window, and handed it to the man. He seemed genuinely thankful.

"Thank you. God bless you. Have a good weekend," he said, cracking a smile.
"You, too," I replied.

The traffic light turned green. I drove off. I saw the man on the cement island, opening the package and eating. It made my day knowing that I helped someone out because I could.