"Do you have a couple dollars?"

Occasionally, I'm approached by panhandlers. I used to always give them a couple dollars, but was unsure whether the money helped them. At times I'm sure my donation went to purchasing alcohol or drugs which only prolonged their problems.

Then, I tried buying food for them, usually purchasing a meal at a grocery store. I stopped that approach when one of the recipients refused the meal, saying he preferred to chose his food. I kept the meal and ate it for lunch, but that remark (and its implication that I was being condescending by providing the food) stopped me from donating food to panhandlers.

Next, I tried suggesting that they go to churches, thinking they would have the resources to help them, including counseling. One person reacted by telling me what one minister said when trying that approach, "Bless you. We'll be praying for you. God will help you get through this. Through God all things are possible. Bless you" before suggesting that the person go to a government agency located miles away. The person's description was funny, although obviously the church did not provide any assistance. Perhaps the churches also do not know what to do, or lack the resources to provide help. Anyway, I decided that suggesting churches wasn't being helpful.

So, what does one do?