It’s not less loving to give them to a reputable charity. You’re still sharing them with people who need them.
It is a separate loving act to spend a few minutes in kind conversation with a lonely person. Giving a blanket or other needed item can bring about an opening for that conversation to occur.
Unfortunately near my area,most of the people who are homeless usually do have severe mental illnesses and it is very sad that they are excluded from society or ignored
… I would like to do it personally at least this time because it would seem to me that it would be nice for them to have contact with a wide variety of people and not just charity workers just for "dignity sake if nothing else?
My teenage daughter came back from a bike ride today and asked me if I could go check on a homeless girl that she had seen. She had given her a donut and was worried because she seemed so sad. So I went to where the young lady was sitting and sat down next to her and had a conversation. I asked for her story and it was unbelievably sad. I heard about her struggles with her mental illness, I asked about her cutting (she had scars on her legs and arms), I asked about drug use, I told her about resources in the community, and I listened. I asked her if she believed in God and I asked her if she believed in a God who loved her.
In the end, I asked her if there was something I could do for her. She asked me to thank my daughter for the donut and told me that me sitting there, taking the time to have a conversation with her and not ignore her, was the best thing to happen to her all week. She didn’t need a donut, but she needed to know that somebody cared. Please pray for Cassie. She needs love and medical care and emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing.
I worked as a social worker with the homeless for more than a decade. I went into their camps to help with the census, they came into my office for services. I met them on the street and occasionally I saw them in the store. I never once encountered a mentally ill homeless person who was violent toward me, although I saw violence toward others. Sometimes they weren’t capable of a coherent conversation and sometimes I kept a wide berth, but for the most part, they were just like this girl. They appreciated a little bit of love and human kindness. A smile instead of a scowl. A kind word instead of being ignored. @Rozellelily, I think you’re on the right track here.
So, think it more than twice before joining.