If I were a rich man...

[East Bay Rider]

Every day I see cases where, if I were a rich man, I could help folks who need a hand.
Please tell a story of a kind act you've done for a stranger
OR
What (specific) single act of kindness would you do for a stranger if you were in a position to do so?
(Even if you cant help, it's still good to think about helping)

[Mockingbird]

Well just today I helped a blind man untangle the loop on his cane from a fire hydrant.

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by Mockingbird

Well just today I helped a blind man untangle the loop on his cane from a fire hydrant.

Nice!

[Lisa]

I don't know if police officers should be considered strangers, but I'll pay for their food if I'm in front of them at the drive-through.

[Lion]

At my wife's church at Christmas time needy families are chosen and then Pam buys clothes for the children of one of the families. I support her in her wishes and beliefs. I'm not working now but when I did I would give money to people pan handling on the street and give to charities!!!

[abigsecret]

Originally Posted by Lisa

I don't know if police officers should be considered strangers, but I'll pay for their food if I'm in front of them at the drive-through.

That's so thoughtful of you!

[abigsecret]

Originally Posted by East Bay Rider

Every day I see cases where, if I were a rich man, I could help folks who need a hand.
Please tell a story of a kind act you've done for a stranger
OR
What (specific) single act of kindness would you do for a stranger if you were in a position to do so?
(Even if you cant help, it's still good to think about helping)

I buy loads of toys for Christmas for kids who otherwise wouldn't get any from Santa!

[scarhead]

Originally Posted by Lisa

I don't know if police officers should be considered strangers, but I'll pay for their food if I'm in front of them at the drive-through.

Thank you. That is very considerate. I actually do the same thing, but in reverse you might say. There are a few places that do not charge us for coffee, so what I will do is pay for mine and ask the clerk not to charge the person behind me. Sometimes, this is met with a total mental break down of the clerk because they don't know how to react and I have to explain that I'm paying for mine and just don't charge the next person. Believe me when I tell you that it occasionally creates a problem because the clerk is at a loss of what to do and it ties up the line. Either way, the person I'm buying for thanks me.

[gettocard]

November 2009, early morning at a traffic light somwhere in Las Vegas,off Strip location visiting friends.
There was a bum with a "anything can help" sign. I looked at myself,all dressed up with clean clothes,in my nice car rental,flew to Las Vegas from Italy in business class just for 5 days of fun and shopping. I gave the bum 30 dollars,he could not belived his eyes. He told me " thank you sir,you made my day".
Who knows,maybe he boozed out those money,but it just felt it was the right thing to do comparing to the soft and easy life I have.

[R1@160@alltimes]

Several times a year my motorcycle club holds toys for tots drive for locally hospitalized terminally ill children.

The look on their faces makes it all worthwhile.

[lkenny]

anon but reasonable donations to local causes gives me a kick

[t e x]

I’m thankful to be gainfully employed and even though I’m middle class....I am all over the map on the topic when time or means permit whether it's helping a particular person or organization that will benefit many in lot's of different ways such as donations, volunteering, etc.

Yesterday I loaned a total stranger $200

[cyglee]

Spied two youngish ladies having lunch, obvious girls day out, having a good time. I asked the waitress to put their tab on my card as I was paying and leaving, and not to say anything. I thought it would just add to their good day.

[Frogman4me]

A while back I was waiting in line to get my car washed at a self serve. An elderly lady was in the bay struggling so I stepped out and offered to wash her car for her. She was very happy and accepted. Afterwards she offered to pay for my wash I of course said no thank you and pulled my car in afterwards for double-time.

[BigMac53]

In college I worked at a deli, and I used to see this homelss guy walk by the shop every couple of days. On the days I would see him I'd make a bagged lunch for him with a sandwich, a couple bottles of water, and a couple bags of chips and hand it to him on the way home. The first time I did it I had to convince him that it was OK to eat and I worked at a deli down the street. The poor guy thought I was trying to hurt him! But it made me feel good that I could provide a little something for him rather than giving him money to feed an addiction or something.

[azone5]

I buy lunch for veterans on Veteran's Day.

Also, I'm a volunteer English tutor for three Cubans, five hours a week, and for a Mexican lady 1.5 hours a week who needs to pass a state test so she can be certified to be a teacher aide. I drive 60 miles round trip to tutor her. I gave her my laptop so she can use the the web to practice her math and English skills. I'm having more fun with these fine people than I've had in years. Retirement has its benefits.

[TRW]

I give 5 Dollars a week to United Way,100 Dollars a yr to St.Jude(Mem)and whatever I can to Special Olympics and Second Harvest Food Bank.
And I make about 22 a Yr to answer the Rich part

[Shade]

Well I gave food and some money to a rickshaw puller some time ago... he was a very old guy... I saw him when I was travelling out of town, and having b'fast at the hotel restaurant. Saw this guy sitting just outside my window, waiting for a client.

So I took some foods on a napkin, and brought it out and gave it to him, along with some money. We chatted and joked for a while. he had no family to care for him, and he was living alone... It was sad. Alas, I wish I was a billionaire and I could help more of these people... :(

I still donate to charities as well whenever I can.

[Chipmunk]

I don't need to be a rich man to perform an act of kindness, but if I were......that would be nice too.

[Shade]

Originally Posted by Chipmunk

I don't need to be a rich man to perform an act of kindness, but if I were......that would be nice too.

Totally agree.

Rich is a bonus!

[GradyPhilpott]

I keep some extra cash in my car to give out to those who are in need.

I belong to an organization that makes numerous troop mailings a year as part of our activities. We are the Lobo Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and this is an activity that I am very proud to be active in.

I also donate money to various causes that are near an dear to my heart.

You might go so far as to say that I am a special interest.

[Sunshine]

I spend a great deal of time in counties were the value of the dollar is much more than that counties currency. I am in India now and have spent the past several months here. The dollar is about 1 to 45rs now. The people we work around only make few hundred dollars a month. From time to time I will ATM out a $100 and hand it to someone in there currency. The last time we were here we picked out one worker that stayed with us a good bit. He was no bigger than a 12 year old boy in the states; we called him “little people big world”. Over the curse of the job we handed him over 5000rs in cash and bought him shoes, pants shirts and all kinds of stuff. I am sure this was more money than he will see in a long time. Here people sleep at the job, take a bath at the job in a 55 gallon drum “no shi#” and only eat a hand full of food a day. People talk about living in the US and how bad it is but until you have lived like I do in and out of third world countries all the time you will never know how good you have it!

[unclesallie]

Originally Posted by scarhead

Thank you. That is very considerate. I actually do the same thing, but in reverse you might say. There are a few places that do not charge us for coffee, so what I will do is pay for mine and ask the clerk not to charge the person behind me. Sometimes, this is met with a total mental break down of the clerk because they don't know how to react and I have to explain that I'm paying for mine and just don't charge the next person. Believe me when I tell you that it occasionally creates a problem because the clerk is at a loss of what to do and it ties up the line. Either way, the person I'm buying for thanks me.

if you don't cut this out, you'll ruin your tough guy image!

[mtrunner]

A couple of months ago I was flying to Chicago and when I was waiting in line to check in my bags I overheard a younger woman crying at the ticket counter. She was trying to figure out how to get a plane ticket to fly home to Calgary, Alberta because her father had just been involved in a horrible car accident and that there was a good chance that he would not make it. To top it off her father was the only person she had as immediate family.

She was a college student and only had one credit card and she did not have enough credit to pay for the ticket nor did she had enough cash. The lady at the ticket counter was being less than helpful. I simply walked over and told the lady at the ticket counter to please put the ticket on my credit card. The young girl broke down and started crying and hugged me and kept thanking me over and over and said she would pay me back if I gave her my address. I told her there would be no need. I told her to just worry about what was important and to focus on her father.

[TPLGT]

^^^Wow! What a great thread. That last one was a tear jerker. I was raised to 'always do the right thing'...i live by that.

On Christmas Eve I had someone pay my toll on 95 north going from MA to NH...I was sooo surpirsed. I did the asme for the next few years. I gave a 20 spot to a lady about 2 years ago who was trying to get to another part of town...she probably smoked that 20 but one can never tell.

[blackmsport]

If I were a richman, I give up my job here is australia and open a homeless kids centre in HCM City Vietnam

presently I spend 1 day a week volunteering at Community Based ChildCare centre .... woukd love to do this fulltime to less fortunate kids

[Dilemma]

I do volunteer Pet Therapy at a local hospital. I also donate to specific charities.

I came from a VERY working class backround. Compared to many of you here my income is probably somewhat small. I feel VERY FORTUNATE to have what I have, and make it a point to give where I can see the direct benefit. If I were rich, I would simply do more of what I currently do

[kareemthedream33]

One of my best friend's dad died a few months ago, I went home for the funeral and everything. What I wasn't aware of, however, was that the circumstances of his death combined with a lack of decent insurance, meant that they were receiving little to no money from insurance. They were already hanging on by a thread. My friend couldn't afford to pay his tuition, and couldn't keep up with the lines of credit he had opened up to pay for it. He was actually going to get kicked out of school for failure to pay tuition. He's one year away from graduating and then will become a school teacher, but not if he couldn't stay in school.

Basically, there were some options. Beg friends and family, hold fundraisers, take out ridiculous loans from various sources, etc. I told him to forget all that. He didn't ask me for it, and he defiantly refused, but I paid off the balance of his debt and put enough credit on his account for him to finish off school. We agreed not to tell anyone else, and I told him I don't want the money back, even though he says he'll eventually give it to me anyways.

It comes down to two best friends, one is extremely lucky, and the other is extremely unlucky. I'm the lucky one, what good is all of my material stuff to me when my friend is back home struggling to maintain his livelihood and sense of dignity.

Anyways, that felt pretty good, and I'm pretty sure if the roles were reversed that he would do the same thing for me. Loaning friends money isn't always a great idea, but this isn't a loan, I don't care if I ever get that money back, the point is that he was in a position where everything he had worked for in his life to that point were about to be taken away because of circumstances beyond his control. I was in a position to do something about it, and I did. Nobody else knows about this but since you guys are my online buddies I figure the information is safe. Good thread!

[Andad]

Originally Posted by t e x

I’m thankful to be gainfully employed and even though I’m middle class....I am all over the map on the topic when time or means permit whether it's helping a particular person or organization that will benefit many in lot's of different ways such as donations, volunteering, etc.

Yesterday I loaned a total stranger $200

Nice gesture Joel.

Interest free - I hope.

[pz93c]

I ask for nothing and I give nothing.