I was spending the day with my Great Aunt taking her to the doctor and running some errands. Our last stop was Rite-Aid so I could run in and grab 2 things of ice cream for her. There was a man sitting on the curb out front who started talking to me as soon as I got out of the car. When I see someone like this, it depends on the situation, location and the person themselves if I decide to converse with someone who looks like they are going to ask for money. I couldn't understand him at first so I got closer and asked him what he said.
He was trying to hand me his Rite-Aid Wellness (discount) card and asked if I could buy him some headache medicine. I was kind of caught off guard by the question and stupidly, but politely, asked, "Why don't you just go in and get some yourself?" to which he replied, "Because I don't have any money.". DUH?!?! I think the fact that he had a discount card, wasn't asking for cash, and wasn't dressed like a homeless person (but possibly disabled), it kind of threw me off.
I told him I would give him a dollar, and he was very thankful. Once inside getting what I needed, I thought to myself, why didn't I just offer to buy him some? So I went and grabbed a 24ct bottle of Excedrin and added it to my cart. When I went to go back to my car, he wasn't around though. Oh well.
But then my Great Aunt, who had been waiting in the car, thought of something else she needed so I went back inside. The man was inside and approached me with an outstretched hand full of change when he saw me. I was very surprised, but just told him Thanks, but just to keep it. And I asked if he got some medicine like he was wanting, he said yes. I had already put the Excedrin in my trunk, or I would have handed it over. According to my Great Aunt, he had received a little money from some others after me, so must have gotten enough to buy some.
By the time I did my quick second shopping trip and got back in my car, the man was crossing the street in front of me after going to the gas station across the street. He had some packaged donuts/cookies/candy/something in his hand and again reached out toward my car as if to say, would you like some? I just shook my head No, smiled, and waved.
So it just made me think that sometimes there are people out there that just need a little help for whatever reason. He wasn't asking for a handout to buy drugs, he just had a really bad headache and needed some medicine. I guess the moral of the story is to not treat everyone asking for help as a second class citizen. Some of them legitimately just need a helping hand.
Showing posts with label Charity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charity. Show all posts
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Just help people out, and pay it forward...
So, I was just watching the video for Lady Antebellum's "I Run To You". Love the song, but never watched the video before. But it reminded me of a situation I witnessed maybe a month or 2 ago...
So, every week or so I have (don't mean that as a chore) to take my Great Aunt for the day to do something. It may be sitting with her through a 2-3 hour Chemo Appt, or just running errands with her like grocery shopping. Anyway... one day she and I had to go pick up one of her prescriptions from the medical office she normally visits. This was a prescription she couldn't fill before hand, so we had to come in, fill it and wait. They are often slow.
That being beside the point, there was an older woman who came in to ask about her prescription. I could hear this whole thing... The pharmacist said they checked with her insurance company and they were not able to cover her pain medication. She had her ankle wrapped up in ace bandages, but not sure if that was why she was there. The pharmacist asked if she wanted the meds anyway and said yes, as she rummaged through her wallet. He said it was going to be $17 for 10 pills. Seemed like they had a quiet exchange because they then discussed if she maybe wanted to buy 5 pills instead or something.
At the time, there was this other lady at the counter waiting for her prescription to be ready. Soon after she heard that last woman's exchange with the pharmacist, I heard her ask, "How much was that? $17?" and the pharmacist said "Yes". The woman pulled out a $20 and paid for the other woman's full prescription of 10 pills. The woman was very grateful and discreetly cried on her shoulder. It was a very moving experience, and I only regret that the idea hadn't come to me first.
So, every week or so I have (don't mean that as a chore) to take my Great Aunt for the day to do something. It may be sitting with her through a 2-3 hour Chemo Appt, or just running errands with her like grocery shopping. Anyway... one day she and I had to go pick up one of her prescriptions from the medical office she normally visits. This was a prescription she couldn't fill before hand, so we had to come in, fill it and wait. They are often slow.
That being beside the point, there was an older woman who came in to ask about her prescription. I could hear this whole thing... The pharmacist said they checked with her insurance company and they were not able to cover her pain medication. She had her ankle wrapped up in ace bandages, but not sure if that was why she was there. The pharmacist asked if she wanted the meds anyway and said yes, as she rummaged through her wallet. He said it was going to be $17 for 10 pills. Seemed like they had a quiet exchange because they then discussed if she maybe wanted to buy 5 pills instead or something.
At the time, there was this other lady at the counter waiting for her prescription to be ready. Soon after she heard that last woman's exchange with the pharmacist, I heard her ask, "How much was that? $17?" and the pharmacist said "Yes". The woman pulled out a $20 and paid for the other woman's full prescription of 10 pills. The woman was very grateful and discreetly cried on her shoulder. It was a very moving experience, and I only regret that the idea hadn't come to me first.
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