I often go to some cities in Asia and sometimes will see someone who lives on the street. Many times they are sleeping during the day since it’s so hot and sometimes they look malnourished too. What would be the best foods I could provide them (assuming some restaurants or convenience stores are nearby) which would not spoil?

  • mawkishdave@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Don’t, find local homeless charities and give them food or money. This way the food is keep safe so it doesn’t make the person sick.

    • balance_sheet@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Don’t, find local homeless charities and give them food or money.

      If you can, give them money, not food.

      • edric@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        That’s interesting. Growing up, we were always told not to give money because if the person is a user or something, they’ll just use it to get their next fix, instead of buying food.

        • techingtenor@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          They are talking about giving to charities, not directly to the homeless. Even if they were talking about giving directly, the drug argument is very silly. If they’re hungry they’re gonna buy food first. Maybe they’ll try to buy less than they need so they can use the leftover for drugs, but that’s their prerogative.

          I work with the homeless and the vast majority are just worried about meeting their basic needs and being treated like a human.

    • Pat12@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      i do this too but at the moment when i encounter this person i can’t just leave them without anything

      • Jim@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Dry goods that don’t need to be prepared. Things like crackers and beef jerky are reliable choices.

  • Smokey_the_beer@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Not sure if this is possible or practical for that situation but peanut butter is a good source of protein and calories. It also does not need refrigerated. There is the issue of allergies though.

    • Pat12@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      this is a good idea! i will keep this in mind. generally in asia peanuts are not an issue, it’s more often that lactose is an issue.

  • Hillock@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Why not just leave a small amount of money so they can buy it themselves? It would solve all issues. From allergies, spoiling, and attracting insects or stray dogs.

    Because you run into the issue that most healthy things that don’t spoil are rather hard. And many homeless people have issues with their teeth and can’t eat that. So you either leave something less healthy, like sealed soft bread or you ignore food safety rules.

    Which isn’t as big of a deal in Asia. Even affluent people ignore it. Foods to look out for would be anything with a lot of soy sauce or vinegar. They tend to last a bit longer. And while it sounds stereotypical, anything with rice will be appreciated.

    Leaving fruits could also work.

    • jet@hackertalks.com
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      1 year ago

      Cash has the problem of incentivizing performance poverty. I’m not saying that’s the case for everybody. But in larger metropolitan areas where there are people known to donate cash, you can get the professional begger showing up. And then you run into this weird cycle where the professionals chase out the amateurs, the real people in need, because it’s distracting from their revenue generation.

      Again I’m not saying that’s all people. But it creates the incentive. Which is why donating to local charities, temples, is more effective they know the local landscape better, they know the people in need, they can make your money work a lot harder than you can make it work, and they’re going to stick around long-term to make sure good things happen.

  • jet@hackertalks.com
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    1 year ago

    Donate to the local temple. Don’t give out handouts directly. It will just draw attention to yourself.

    Find a local street vendor, and pay them money to feed that person multiple times.

    If you must hand out food directly, hard boiled eggs last a while, Mama is popular, jerky last awhile.

  • sloppy_diffuser@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    “Trail Mix” if they have that in your area. Usually a mix of dried foods (fruit, nuts, seeds). Some are healthier than others with the less healthy ones adding candy.

    Canned/jarred foods that do not require a tool to open.

  • Elephant0991@lemmy.bleh.au
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    1 year ago
    • Canned fish. Nutritious (protein). Lots of energy (fat).

    • Bread. Don’t need to cook. Probably kept until it’s all eaten.

    • 7-11 sells ready-to-eat food packs. They maybe willing to heat it for the persons if it’s a 7-11 rebranded packet.

    • Ramen noodle types. Assuming that they can get boiled water.

  • 52fighters@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I carry gift cards to Subway for the homeless. Subway restaurants are almost everywhere, don’t cost a lot, can be reasonably healthy, and most people like the food well enough.

    • Pat12@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      water is easy and i can already cover that, i am looking for food suggestions though

  • wnose@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Easy. Buy uncut fruit from a local market - bananas, oranges, mangoes, local fruit.