[Durham INC] Fwd: question/ideas

[Interneighborhood Council]

INC received this letter in response to our brochure, "Durham, Can You
Spare a Change."  See our website

www.CanYouSpareAChange.org

There are some great ideas here.  Please read and comment!

John Martin, President
InterNeighborhood Council of Durham

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tracy Feldman <tracysfeldman at yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 9:46 PM
Subject: question/ideas
To: "interneighborhoodcouncil at gmail.com" <interneighborhoodcouncil at gmail.com
>


Dear members of the Inter Neighborhood Council,

I saw your really interesting brochure the other day at International
Delights.  I really like what you are doing as an organization.  The
brochure dealt with giving to shelters rather than panhandlers.  My wife
and I were thinking about it, and we brainstormed a couple of ideas.  We
wondered whether you might be interested.

One thing that might bring more money to the shelters is a collection cup
in establishments along 9th street (and other places), if they agree to
that.  This would serve the purpose of giving people who wish to support
panhandlers a concrete and immediate alternative, as they might come into
an establishment after an encounter with a panhandler, feeling like they
want to support them in some way. Collection cups would give them that
option.

Another thing you may have thought of already--local tender--"vouchers"
good at any participating establishment, good for food (or other
necessities?).  Then people can give panhandlers vouchers instead of money,
and panhandlers can get food (if it's food they want), and they can choose
the food they want.  Or the vouchers could go into the collection cups for
the shelters rather than going right to the panhandlers directly, and the
shelters can give them out.  Then it might be less likely to promote
panhandling for vouchers.  Not sure if this idea is problematic for other
reasons, but perhaps it could work. Local vouchers of this type are used in
lots of places (only usable in local establishments), but I don't know of
others using them in this particular way.

Let me know if you want to talk more about this.  I just wanted to share
some ideas, in hopes they might be helpful.

Take care,

Tracy S. Feldman
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