the only thing I gathered that they all enjoy is weed, but im a bit too dumb to figure out how to get small joints to put in a little gift bag, along with some other little snacks or something

😂😂

I know it’s a silly idea 💀 but I did look into it and honestly I can’t figure it out. The downside of always having friends buy edibles for you

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If you ever use carts, a small j will fit in those tubes, and be protected from being smushed

Tell your friends who buy you edibles to buy you some pre-rolls.

Oh that is a good idea, thanks

Last year we made a big batch of roasted candied & spiced pecans to give to friends & family as stocking stuffers. I'm sure something like that would be appreciated by any neighbor who doesn't have a tree nut allergy.

Ooh that is a nice, low cost option

Pink fox on 14th has pre rolls and these little match box things that have 5 small pre rolls in them. You have to text to order just look up their website. They have edibles too

Drugs, alcohol, or money to buy drugs and alcohol.

I mean, that’s what I want for Christmas too :)

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Warm socks, I’m serious. Assuming by “folks who live outside” you’re talking about unhoused people, they tend to go through socks fast. They’ll especially need warm socks for the cold months ahead

I’ll add those to my list. So far I’m thinking hand warmers, $10 Metro card, chocolate, candy cane, socks, and Not The Other Thing I Thought Might Be Okay

Dang turns out they’re out of the small ones. I know they can’t sell me items for a price so trying to figure out cost while talking abstractly about gifts is so difficult 💀 I will never take my friends gifts for granted again

Handwarmers $10 Metro cards A night in a hotel for someone bad off Tarps Tents Blankets Work boots SOCKS Beanies Ponchos Gift cards to get food See if someone needs to get a bus out of town to see family Reach out to locally mutual aid networks for more in depth list and other ways to help.

Kudos to OP for wanting to bring some cheer to the homeless. I don’t recommend giving any substance-related products to homeless folks. Many struggle (or have struggled) with addiction before and consuming any mind-altering substance can cause addictions of all sorts to flare up.

Hmm good point

Roll the cash you'd spend and convert the time you'd spend trying to figure this out into cash in the bag. They'll figure out the rest as to what they need.

I know that $20 in cash is a more useful gift, it just also doesn’t feel like a present to me. I will also put cash in the gift for usefulness, but I do want them to have the cheer of getting a Present. idk, i love getting items :)

Sorry, I meant specifically on the joint idea. I'm on board with the idea of a present but chances are they'll know where they can get a joint esp if you don't know.

Haha true, they def can find them easier than i can

op be like

😂😂god it’s so true

$5 Starbucks gift cards

Setting aside any moral question, related to substances or addiction, there might be legal ramifications given amounts you hand out. I do not have knowledge of any of this, just saying don’t do illegal things lol

Socks, new clean socks. I speak from experience on this one, toiletries too but there's nothing like fresh socks when you cant/haven't showered in a while.

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if you’re not opposed to monetary gifts, a gift card to a nearby food spot/grocery store

I really wouldn’t worry about metro cards

I would think socks, sweat pants and shirts, toiletries. You used be able to buy single packets of detergent.

Maybe some snacks. McDonald's gift cards.

Thick socks

Plain sweatshirt

A crisp $20

Small box of pads/tampons if they’re female

Wet wipes or equivalent

Toothbrush/paste

Box of granola bars

Absolutely seconding socks, handwarmers and gift cards - also if you're planning to include toiletries, sanitary materials will def be appreciated by any women among your unhoused neighbors.

i think if you’ve seen them smoking a joint or even ask if they would like it with their gift, it should be fine!

Ironically gifting weed is legal in DC

Wet wipes

Or mental health issues! As somebody who is severely mentally ill, a single joint could set me back years in terms of treatment progress!

Travel toiletries kit- mouth wash, sani wipes, and qtips. That sort of thing. They may not need it right away but compact items are easy to carry when you can't always rely on storage. Personal hygiene can be especially impactful and difficult to maintain when living that life

Adding to that- toothbrush and nail trimmer, floss, hand sanitizer. And as someone else said - socks!

That’s a lovely idea. I would say a 6-pack of warm socks, $10 Starbucks or CVS gift card, Christmas candy.

Definitely socks to echo other peoples' sentiment here.

Pre-paid phone minutes cards, because a fair number of people have phones but not necessarily a consistent plan.

Tooth brush, tooth paste, soap, deodorant, dry shampoo (will need to discern on your end if the gift bag is being given to someone with long hair or not), space blanket (the silver kind you unfold). If there are any grocery stores near you that you think those people would frequent, perhaps gift cards to that grocery store.

If you have a YMCA / gym near you (< 1 mile away) that sells one day passes that don't expire for a long time, perhaps you could buy some of those to give out and then people would have access to showers? That's something we could do for people in the midwest, not sure what the rules are like out here.

It might be prudent now that metro is starting to enforce fare evasion again

They are literally your neighbors, so why not bring each one a cup of coffee, get to know them a little bit, and then you can get them gifts they actually need based on knowing who they are. What would you do for the person who lives next door to you?

i'd just give them the $10 in cash. if they live in DC they almost certainly have a smartrip already.

I am very awkward and anxious haha. I do not want to talk to them. I do not talk to any of my neighbors 💀💀 I lived in a 6 person apartment for two years and didn’t see 4 of them for the whole time. But I do really like giving gifts so maybe it’s slightly less awkward when I rush past like :]

I realize this is only somewhat related but sharing a tradition my family had growing up - that we’d make a nice homemade loaf of bread and give it away one of two ways:

Flip a coin X number of times and go left/right at an intersection that number of times and give it to a random house with a brief explanation of the tradition and a brief note introducing our family (usually people were surprised but accepted it)

Or we’d think of who (in the area) made the biggest positive impact on our life that year and brought it to them with a note.

User name checks out. 💜

Yeah I’m not gonna include it also because I realized it could give the wrong, dealer type impression. Twas a bad idea

Definitely toiletries, maybe an umbrella or some kind of winter hat, scarves, gloves etc for the coming winter. Oh, and also - thank you so much for being so kind to the community, if everyone was a little more like you the world would be a better place :)

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Eh I actually gotta do it first b4 it counts as a good deed. Hopefully I don’t miss the landing and chicken out

What about a lotto ticket? Cheap and fun

Agree - food gifts are always welcome. Pumpkin bread, holiday cookies, diy hot cocoa mix, homemade candy, etc. EDit - sorry, I thought you meant your neighbors. Homeless neighbors - socks and gift cards.

What if you gift it and you’re serious?

Not sure why OP said everything possible to avoid saying Homeless. I think that is weird.

get them copies of capital in the twenty-first century by thomas piketty, it'll change the way they see the world

Contact a grass roots group that already does this like the purple stars foundation, your money will go A LOT farther

I mean, I just want to give my neighbors presents.

Instead of candy do protein bars, think practical. Metro cards are pointless, so many programs for free ones and district is moving to give free cards to people under a certain income

Okay but like. It’s Christmas I don’t only want to give practical things. It’s supposed to be a fun present too

Staying alive is fun. Getting candy when you need a meal isnt.

What’s more important, them knowing it came from you or truly helping them?

I’m not trying to solve the homeless crisis. I want to give my neighbors a Christmas present that actually goes to them.

So it’s recognition you’re after. Cool.

Im giving holiday gifts to my neighbors? What is wrong with you. I’m looking for gift ideas to bring a little bit of cheer to people who I see every day. You don’t know what non profits I already donate my time too. Go fuck yourself

Im giving them cash. To buy whatever they want. Stop judging me in other replies for wanting to give little presents to the people I see every day.

I’m telling you how to help them more with the same amount of money… you can help distribute and hand the bags directly to them since you need the recognition

all you succeeded in doing was insulting and upsetting me for giving out gifts. I want to get them a present for Christmas, vs giving an org on another block $100 and hoping they benefit. leave me alone please

You’re seeing too much into that. I just talk like this. Anxiety

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Cash. No seriously. Give them whatever amount you planned to spend on the gift in cash.

Let them use it on what they want or need.

The gift will have cash :) I just also think it might be nice to get a material present as well. Both is good

Lol they did a messaging campaign around it to scare people into paying. They ain’t changed policies.

They told managers to let it slide because the liability they expose themselves to by trying to stop people was higher than the returns of actually stopping people. That ain’t changed either.

You can contact the org I gave you and personally hand them out with them. They have more purchasing power and know exactly what these guys want, you can give more for the same amount of money…

I understand, but I care about the 5 people on my block, specifically. How do I know the org will help them out? But I’ll look into purple stars, and see what they do during all the other times of year

Wool socks, beanie hat, snickers and a 5 dollar bill.

You’d do a lot less talking if you actually used words to say what you mean.

Yeah go figure. Thanks I’m cured now

More cash

Again- YOU CAN PASS IT OUT YOURSELF like I’ve said repeatedly. Do you want to help these people as much as possible or you want recognition? This gives you both