Hey Dean, that warm feeling you had was probably you filling your Depends.
Would I have given her my last dollar? In that situation, absolutely, if I already had my way home paid for. My motto in life is, "Be of use." And I try hard to follow that.
On the other hand, I do not give money to street beggars. If you're capable of walking, and your arms work, get a freakin' job. Panhandling is not work. I also do not give money to, for instance, the Veterans of Foreign Wars selling poppies at the front door of Wal Mart - I'm a past VFW post commander and state adjutant - or to high school fundraising groups with a jar asking for money for the band trip, etc. If these groups want money, they should either sell a product or provide a service - they should WORK for it, and not ask for handouts. The only exception I make is to the Salvation Army at Christmas - I work with the SA and I know every penny goes directly to the needy.
Every year, some friends and I buy a needy family's Christmas - everything from food to clothes to toys for the kids. The family must have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own - layoff, illness, etc. - and our other rule is that they must be trying to help themselves. If they are, we'll help them.
If you can't be of use to others, what's the point in being here?