A Tough Ask: Are Panhandlers After a Hand Out, Or a Hand Up?
COTTONWOOD, Ariz.—Catherine Schwab of Michigan sat in a folding chair holding a cardboard sign in the dry heat of the afternoon sun.
“Please Help,” the sign in magic marker said.
Wearing a wide-brim summer hat and shorts, Schwab watched the cars enter and leave the Walmart parking lot in Cottonwood, Arizona, her face without expression.
Every day, it’s the same deal.
The drivers slow down, stare, or give her strange looks and move on.
Many could care less; others might roll down a window to chat with her out of curiosity or compassion.
Catherine Schwab sits near the main entrance to Walmart in Cottonwood, Ariz., on Oct. 3. Schwab said she panhandles almost daily to raise the money she needs to drive home to Michigan. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)
Sometimes, Schwab will receive money, bottles of water, and food. Mostly, the cars keep going; the drivers never make eye contact….