Old Lady Always Gave to Gallant Beggar despite Her Lack of Wealth, One Day She Stopped

A not-so-wealthy aged woman always helped this one beggar at a traffic signal on her usual route. She continued giving money to him until she found out the truth that compelled her to change her mind.

The woman's grandson shared the story on Reddit telling other users why she stopped helping the man on the traffic signal. He also shared that he didn't like giving money to homeless people because of what his grandmother experienced.

While driving with his grandmother, he stopped at the intersection where she used to help the beggar. He was surprised to see that his grandmother refused to give him money this time. He looked at her face and immediately realized something was not right.

The man revealed that his grandmother raised nine children while struggling to earn money. Despite not being wealthy, she loved helping other people.

After her children grew up, she also spent a lot of time raising underprivileged children in her community. OP (Original Poster) believed his grandmother was very kind.

He often visited her in the summers and they would drive around her house on the same route. Near her home was a traffic signal where their car stopped, and OP watched his grandmother give money to the same homeless man.

OP used to see the homeless man every summer, and his grandmother never hesitated to give him money, despite not being wealthy herself. His grandmother also chatted with the man while waiting for the signal to turn green.

Her stern expression made OP realize something was not right.

Living on a fixed income, OP's grandmother never missed a chance to help the homeless man. OP revealed that he was a nice guy who was "just down on his luck."

Last summer, he revisited his grandmother, and they stopped at the same signal. To OP's surprise, his grandmother didn't roll down her window for the beggar. He explained:

"I went to wave to the guy she normally was so friendly with and she looked at me with this look that I will never forget."

Her stern expression made OP realize something was not right. His grandmother refused to give money to the beggar who she always helped. He also noticed that the homeless man passed their car like he didn't know them.

OP waited for them to pull onto the highway before asking his grandmother any questions. As they reached the highway, OP asked her why she didn't help the homeless man. He shared her response:

"She explained to me that she was passing the intersection a few months after I left and saw the man walking to his car, which was parked down the street. A car that was nicer than hers."

She confronted the man the next day after seeing his car, but he didn't say anything. OP confessed this was why he never gave money to people begging on the streets.

He admitted he was scared of being fooled by a beggar. He also agreed that not all people were like that man, but he couldn't convince himself to give money to homeless people on the street.

Other Redditors shared their opinions after reading OP's post. impotent_rage shared that they never gave money to homeless people and preferred giving food instead.

Another Redditor named mookiemookie said that it was better to give money to local homeless shelters instead of people on the roads. This way, the donor knows the funds they provide are not misused.

Meanwhile, speakstruth shared what happened when they offered food to a homeless woman. He bought a meal for dinner and decided to give it to her when she asked for money. However, she refused to take the food, saying:

"Ew no I don't want that!"

Other users also shared that they preferred donating money to shelters they trusted. Some Redditors also narrated similar incidents that they had experienced.

Questions to Ponder:

Do you think OP's decision not to give money to beggars was right?

OP decided not to give money to beggars based on his grandmother's experience. Some people might think he shouldn't judge all homeless people based on one occasion. It's also true that he can donate to charity organizations instead of giving money to people on the roads. As other users suggested, he could also give food instead of cash. What do you think?

If you were OP's grandmother, would you let the homeless man get away with what he was doing?

OP's grandmother didn't take any action against the beggar, allowing him to fool others. If she confronted him and asked him for answers, he might have felt ashamed of what he was doing. Would you let the man get away if you were in her place?

If you enjoyed reading this article, you might like this one about a woman who bought an antique necklace for mere change but later discovered its actual value from the jeweler.

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