When my son and I deliver papers, we often spot her–sleeping either on the library benches or in the PO lobby. She’s elderly and has a hand-cart type thing that apparently holds all her worldly goods.
There’s not much I can do to help (moneywise, at least), except see if she will accept a small care package on a regular basis. We have shelters here that she can stay in (and I believe that she does, when the weather is bad), but she looks like she could use a hand.
So…what to put in the care package? I’m hoping to put together something small to begin with–maybe just muffins and a bit of fruit or something, until I can get to know her a bit. I’m a little worried about approaching her, as I think she is mentally ill and I’m afraid of frightening her…she does see use deliver papers, though, so maybe that will make her a little less wary. (Maybe? I don’t know.) I worry for her safety, even in our low-crime-area town. 
Suggestions? Thanks!
~karol
That’s so sweet of you to care, bodypoet. 
How about tossing in some McD’s “free sandwich” coupon books?
Or bus passes?
I don’t know if she would use them, but maybe toss in some toothpaste and a toothbrush? Maybe some bottled water? McD’s coupon books are a great idea too!
You regular toiletries
any coupons you get in the Sunday Paper
pepper spray
one of those pillow/blanket transformer folding things
a book, some old magazines
a cheap hand radio
Your regular toiletries
any coupons you get in the Sunday Paper
pepper spray
one of those pillow/blanket transformer folding things
a book, some old magazines
a cheap hand radio
[ul]Good warm wool socks.
A batch of chocolate chip cookies.*
Bath and Bodyworks lotion (cucumber melon, maybe).
A couple of pairs of earrings - the ones in the back of your jewelry box you never wear anymore will do.
Pack of underwear.
Pack of t-shirts (to wear under her regular clothes - she won’t have to do laundry as often).
Does your grocery sell seconds? Maybe a whole lot of canned fruit and a can opener. My local grocery is selling off-brand canned fruit for about 60 cents a can.[/ul]
*I know. Frivolous. But maybe making someone FEEL better is just as important as making someone a bit wealthier.
If she’s eldery, I would recommend the canned fruit with the pull off tops. Sometimes, the elderly have difficulty with hand held can openers.
My husband and I have been working with our church’s homeless outreach for a long time. Above all else, thank you, bodypoet for caring about this lady, and not trying to pretend that she’s not there.
If she’s sleeping when you see her, don’t wake her up. You’ll probably scare her too much to gain her trust. The homeless, especially homeless women, are wary. Leave her a care package with a note inside (write in simple language in case she has poor literacy) telling her who you are (if she’s seen you delivering papers, you can just say that you’re the newspaper deliverers) and that you wanted to help her out with a few things to help make her life a little easier.
Don’t give her anything that will add to her load, like a whole bunch of anything. It will end up being more of a burden than a help.
If you’re going to give her food, don’t give her anything that might be hard to chew. If she’s been on the streets for a while, she may have dental problems. Fresh fruit is always really good, it’s portable and healthy and easy to eat. (Be sure to wash it first!)
If you’re going to give toiletries, again, containers and sizes that won’t weigh her down are best. Baby wipes are extremely useful, hand sanitizer, too. A toothbrush and toothpaste are good, if she doesn’t have them - if you could get a travel toothbrush, the kind with a cover that turns into a handle, that would be good for her because it would stay clean. She could probably use a bottle for drinking water that she can keep, something meant to be reused, that’s durable and easy to stow in her gear. A small bottle of non-aspirin pain reliever could be extremely welcome, too.
If she seems to be reasonably clean and lucid, (not likely to offend or bother people so much that she’s unwelcome indoors or in stores) and there’s a local convenience store or bagel place that has a refillable mug or cup that she could get soda or coffee in for less than a dollar, you could get her one of those. Give her the receipt so that she doesn’t get grief.
More than anything, if she’s awake when you’re around, you can try talking to her. Find out if there is anything that she feels that she wants or needs that you can get for her. Find out if there is anything that might help her to get off of the street. If she’s really a senior citizen – living on the street can make you look prematurely old – then there are a bajillion resources to help her get into housing, even permanent housing. If she’ll let you take her to a senior assistance agency or to a shelter with a social worker, that could be just the help she needs to get off of the streets.
Again, thanks for caring about her.
Okay, now I have good ideas about what to put together. Thank you all so much.
I won’t take too much at once–maybe a couple of bananas, a couple of easy-open containers of fruit, a package of baby wipes, a small bottle of Tylenol (thank you, Tracey, I wouldn’t have thought of that!), McD’s coupons (there’s a McD right down the street), maybe I can rustle up a pair of socks around here too.
There’s a very small grocery nearby, maybe I can catch the manager and ask him if I can put a little money on account for her, so she can go in and get what she needs–if I can get to know her a bit, I’ll see if she might be comfortable with that.
Thanks for all the input. I’ll let you know how it goes.