Tip 2: Pray and ask God for guidance.
Tip 3: Ask yourself, "Do I feel safe in the situation?"
Tip 4: Have gift cards, bottled water, etc. handy if you feel money may be inappropriate.
One way to honor our neighbors' dignity when donating food or school supplies is to invite them to lead or participate in the process. "doing with" instead of "doing for" can open the door for mutually beneficial friendships, where everyone learns from and supports each other.
Providing opportunity for meaningful exchange when distrubing donated items is a great way to honor the God-given strengths and abilities of our neighbors while still providing needed support. We don't ever want our neighbors to feel like charity cases.