It’s been a SCAM from day 1, and it STILL shocks me how few even know it.
I remember the “Will Work for Food” signs showing up in the late 1980s. Not one at a time, but INSTANTLY, throughout the country. Remember, this was the 1980s, no Internet, no phones to speak of for the homeless, maybe they’ll see a newspaper once a week, in other words, virtually NO MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.
Yet all of them, AT ONCE, figured out that revenues skyrocketed by simply saying that you’re willing to work.
OBVIOUSLY there was some big-time organizing involved with these people on the streets (puppet masters)...it wasn’t just individuals who were ‘down on their luck’.
I drove off the interstate south of Lexington, Ky. and always took the same off ramp. In the evenings I saw the same grey breaded, fairly big guy with a sign that said, ‘Vietnam vet, will work for food.’ This was in the late 80’s or very early 90’s, so I thought I would call his bluff. I stopped beside him and said ‘Get in.’
He says, ‘What do you mean?’ I told him I had work for him and would feed him and even throw in a few bucks. He didn’t want any part of this and told me he would lose his spot. I said I see and laughed and rolled on. He did have a good spot.
Had you handed them a sandwich and a task to perform they'd have handed you your head!