Acknowledging Humanity

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

I happened across an interesting piece in the Post-Gazette earlier this week. It's a column about why this particular journalist gives her change to street people. On the one hand, I am one of those people she references that really think strongly that giving out money directly to the homeless is not the most efficient use of funds (supporting an established charitable organization is a much better way to help the homeless in the long run).

That said, I thought the most valuable thing about her article is the emphasis she implicitly places on recognizing the humanity of those in need. She doesn't brush by the street people and panhandlers. She greets them, interacts with them, converses with them. This can be a hard thing. It's outside many people's comfort zones and it does tend to invite more interaction than you may be prepared for. But it's a good thing, nonetheless.

Kudos to Ms. Petruzzi for acknowledging this.