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Panhandle - verb; to stop people on the street and ask for food or money : beg; to accost on the street and beg from to get by
It's Fall in Sandwich. That means that you can't enter a Hess, Dunkin Donuts, the Dump, the Post Office or any other business in town without somebody in a uniform jersey with a coffee can accosting you for a buck.
I wonder why the homeless who frequent the Hyannis Noah Shelter don't just throw on a team jersey and hit the streets of Sandwich?
Isn't panhandling illegal?
Is begging a life skill or just something we hope the kids will grow out of?
(Contributor asked to remain nameless --- for obvious reasons!)
29 comments:
It's amazing that people EXPECT others to fund THEIR kids' sports team -- but if you ask them for money that may benefit EVERY kid academically -- they rant and rave.
I won't contribute to any organization that pays its "volunteers".
I don't mean to sound nasty --- but I have enough of my own expenses without paying for somebody else's. I actually won't go into a store if there are kids begging at the door -- the kids probably don't understand that I haven't got "extra" money but the parents who are standing around watching them beg should know better.
If they want money, they can cut somebody's grass, or weed a garden -- don't just rattle a can at me and demand a hand-out.
I'm amazed how cheep and mean-spirited some people can be. There's nothing for these kids to do in Sandwich and you're criticising them for havin a foiotball team?
You don't have a dollar to help them stay offthe streets? sports teacvhes many impoortant lessons and does benefit evryone in town. Not everyone spends all their time in class sports are at least as important as the other subjects -- but the schools dont spend any money on them.
Im moving as soon as i can. Thos place is unbelievable.
I dont think anyone is criticizing football or any other sport.
But, lets be honest………..Do you really really think most folks enjoy being accosted for dollars on Saturday mornings?
And, is this blog really going to make you move? Really?
Take a pill and lighten up.
You're always critising sports teams costing the town money ... team workers earn their money and its probably a lot less than school committee volunteers make.
Hey – this could be fun, I’ll bite.
How much do school committee volunteers make?
Someone should call the Town Accountant and find out.
If you get paid for something are you really a volunteer? Really?
I love the post from Anonymous about keeping kids off the streets!
Read that again and then think about dressing Noah Shelter residents up in team jerseys and letting them roam Sandwich collecting dollars too.
We could keep kids AND adults off the streets! Who knew that panhandling could work these miracles?
Where’s Sally Fields and Danny Thomas to remind us that for just a dollar a day you could…………. Save a child, rescue a cat, help a whale lose weight; teach English to the English…….work miracles.
Wow, how incredibly juvenile. Are your feelings so brittle that you can't say a polite, "no thank you" to kids who are drumming up support for their athletic teams which, by the way, provide an important outlet for teamwork and community. There is no expectation that you will support them if you cannot or choose not to. Other adults in town might have a reasonable expectation that you'll act like an mature adult instead of a ranting child. And what is with the other commenters making such broad accusations? Mr Simmons does not advance the important cause of this blog but allowing this type of immaturity.
Simmons is sitting this one out.
I've been down this road before.
I'm not looking to advance any cause (although thanks for thinking its an important one!) -- other than pointing out bad information and/or stupidity.
I will also provide space to like-minded people (who are not anonymous to me!)
BTW, SC members do NOT get paid -- contrary to a very popular rumor that somebody worked hard to spread last year.
Wow! It's funny that folks can’t see this issue as funny and lighten up a bit.
Most of this blogging seems to be tongue in cheek humor. (I hope)
Re read the post folks – they’re hilarious.
Who knew you could have this much fun for a buck?
OK.......let's take Pop Warner for an example. Each and every kid pays (Help me out) $150 a year to play. Coaches cost nothing, field is on borrowed land and the crappy equipment that is handed out has been paid for five times over. I hear rediculous numbers that the PW concessions bring in but the net amount eclispes $50,000. Even being on the PW board (albiet a while ago)I was never given a straight answer on concessions which in itself told me all I needed to know. Sooooo, what in the Wide World Of Sports are they STILL passing the hat for? The beauty of most stores is that there are two doors.
This is a very silly post; clearly meant to illicit a laugh and perhaps a nod of recognition to its “truthiness.”
Posters both pro and con would do well to take a breath, relax and laugh a bit at what’s clearly meant to be funny.
I have one child that I pay $124.00 a month for guitar lessons. Another child, we rent an instrument for school band. My kids do not stand in front of Stop and Shop holding a can begging for donations! If I am not asking local teams to help fund my kids music lessons, why do their parents expect me to subsidize theirs! Worse yet, these children aren't offering to do ANYTHING for these donations. Have a car wash, rake a neighbors yard -- earn your money! No wonder so many kids today just expect something for nothing. While we're at it, let's give them all a ribbon for doing a good job holding their cans!!! God help us all.
It is a humorous post -- but a lot of people don't think its a humorous problem.
I agree that it sends a bad message to hand a kid a can and tell him to go beg. At least the garbage they sell at School fundraisers gives the "appearance" that they are selling something -- not just asking for another handout.
But ... I also agree -- lighten up, folks!
The Truth Maker would ask every one if standing outside of any establishment with a cup asking for donations should be an exceptable practice?
We have many different groups that need funding to do what ever they need to to do. We have severel community organizations that have planed fund raisers, that actually amounts to a constructive way to raise money , other than having some one sitting outside a store front with a cup, asking for donations.
Society in some circles have no scruples when it comes to this type of fund raising. These youngster will never learn any fundamental lesson from this experience.
On the other hand we have some groups who actually plan and carry out a plan to preform a positive experience for the child and at the same time raise enough cash to do what ever the group needs the money for. Examples may include car washes, selling fruit baskets, flowers christmas trees, you get the idea. The groups that spend the time to do these type of fund raisers show some responsabilty as parents and leaders to make an effort to teach the children or youths of our community a valuable lesson that we all need to earn our way. Those that take this route, also have more pride in what they accomplish when the goal they set has been reached by every one involved.
You will never see any Boy or Girl Scout holding out a cup asking for money and the local troops raise countless amounts of money to forfill the goals that every member can take pride in knowing they earned what ever the groups were planning to do.
Note from Taxpayer to Anonymous 11:49
I am old, retired, have no kids and live on a modest fixed income. Life aint easy street and I have to watch every dollar I spend.
But, I know about providing for and I care about kids. Because I do care: I bought the golf course and adjoining land for recreation. I bought Oak Crest Cove for recreation too. I pay for the Recreation Department which organizes and runs the largest youth sports organization in town. I bought the land Pop Warner, Soccer and Little League play on. I pay for the schools, including the pool and another $325,000 a year for High School athletics.
I paid for all the play grounds in town too (and I paid to rebuild them).
I’ve spent a lifetime paying. Why cant I get a coffee and bagel without being asked for more? That makes me cheap? That makes me mean? That makes me hard hearted? Pretty harsh words 11:49. Pretty harsh.
how does one go about selling newspapers on town land?
Where does all the money that gets collected go? Is it true that some of the league "volunteers" are getting paid?
John L--you are not cheap, hard hearted or mean. But neither are you entitled to get your coffee and bagel without disruption. Sorry, life doesn't work like that. You can have a coffee and bagel at home if the outside world is too disruptive. Or you can choose to smile, say no thank you and move along. Or you can even explain to the child that it would be more productive if they organized a bake sale or car wash. Or you can be gruff. But you are not being forced to give more by the town, you are being asked to donate. Give or don't but you shouldn't confuse the two.
I agree with John L --
I'm tired of being asked to support everybody else's entertainment. I paid for my kids when they were younger ... these kids' parents should pay for them. I will pay for education --- but I'm tired of being asked to pitch in for somebody's babysitting.
Anon 7:24 -
Just why can't I get a bagel and coffee without someone begging? And, yes it's begging.
Is there a right to panhandle?
If it's ok panhandle is there an age limit?
Or, is there an income test?
Is it OK to beg if your parents have a home and a job but not ok if you are poor or homeless?
And, what the heck am I thanking these kids for when I say as you suggest: No, thank you?
Lastly, if I offered my coffee shop to pay extra for a medium black, no suggar, no panhandling would that be ok?
It takes a village ...
Maybe its a generational thing......
If you can’t afford it on your own you can’t afford it.
Don’t borrow more than you can afford not to borrow.
Pay your own way.
Don’t rely on the kindness of strangers – it’s not a financial plan and eventually the strangers say No.
The best villages are full of responsible, self-motivated, self sufficient individuals.
It’s ok to tell your kids you can’t afford it and they’ll have to do without.
The 9:51 anon is what the voters are going to tell this town when comes to fixing rotten buildings and overrides
I actually saw one of our principals outside dunkin donuts the other day with a coffee can....has it come to this....yup! Thanks State of Mass.
I don't think we can blame the state for ths one. It wasnt the state that restricted local development and dumped the entire tax burden on homeowners -- that was the Town's voters and their brilliant Town Fathers (and some Mothers!) of several years ago.
The state didn't tell these kids to go stand out and beg for coins -- their parents did.
The state has no obligation to fund Pop Warner -- for that matter, neither do the taxpayers (gasp!).
The Truth Maker, must agree with poster 944 in that it was the town itself that shot itself in the foot for providing the tax base with more revenue. The Sandwich residents simply did not want to bring any commercial base to Sandwich. That has proven to be the greatest blunder of those who led this charge in past years. One might also say, that mind set still prevales today. Economic development is paramount to having a commercial base that can impact the tax burdans of every tax payer in a positive way. Once the Power Plant is taken off line, Sandwich will find itself in even more of a hole and those that blocked commercial business for reason only known to themselves will suffer the actions or lack of action that would have provided a better mix for revenue and it would be more stable. The problem is, the horse left that gate a long time ago and are now all swimming in debt
Whoever said sports are "at least as important" as academics is welcome to move out of town, as far as I'm concerned. Because it just isn't true. Are sports important? Sure. Are they as important as academics? No, they aren't. And there are plenty of ways to provide opportunities for exercise, teamwork, etc. that don't cost a lot of money. I think sports are an excellent place to start cutting.
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