Annual holiday exhortations for generosity and compassion are having an effect, according to panhandlers and a charity worker interviewed in the Square yesterday.
"We're doing very well right now," said Salvation Army kettle-worker Lawrence Battle, who is stationed right outside the Pit entrance to the Harvard T-station.
Battle, who rings his bell every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., said that the average pedestrian is much more friendly and giving nowadays. He attributed the change to "Christmas cheer."
"People smile and say hello," he said. "They're pleasant and cheerful."
Battle's positive thoughts are echoed by several homeless people on Garden Street and Mass. Ave., who Reggie Malloy, 34, who said he is disabled andhas been homeless since June, has received moremoney this holiday season than in previous months.Malloy said he collected about $50 during theentire month of July, and that the first 17 daysof December brought him nearly $100. "People stop and talk to me," he said. "Theywish me Merry Christmas and say `God bless you.
Read more in News
Anti-PaternalismRecommended Articles
-
Strangers In Our MidstIn the middle of the day only a few businesspeople, construction workers and local shopkeepers sit on the brick benches
-
Coupons May Replace Change for HomelessIf all goes according to plan, passersby in Harvard Square may soon be able to give pan-handlers coupons which they
-
Shelters Lacking Holiday VolunteersWhile most Harvard students cagerly look forward to December vacation, student organizers of one Cambridge homeless shelter are once again
-
Businesses Worry About Effects of HomelessAlready strapped by the recession economy, Cambridge businesses say they are increasingly wary about the impact of homeless people on
-
Defining What's Important -
Bridge and a Troubled WaterAs winter approaches, it is unacceptable that municipal turf wars should endanger Boston’s most vulnerable.
