Yours is exactly the reason I wrote what I did in my post. Having not too long ago donated to Peaceable Projects for an albergue's need for new beds, THAT is how I felt I could provide the best use of my dollars on a Camino-related need.
It is the same reasoning for my investing in Life Memberships in APOC and in this Forum. Although a bit of a clumsy Pop Culture reference, I think of Spock on Star Trek when he first said:
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one."
That Peaceable Projects sponsored albergue and APOC can decide how best to use my donation or membership fees to the benefit of the Camino and its pilgrims. With new beds, the albergue Hospitaleros can best determine who might need a donated place to sleep for a night. APOC has scholarship programs and the ability to make determinations of how they are applied.
My family gives a lot of money each year to 501c3 charities. We are pretty strict about the number of charities that we donate to. Jill and I evaluate which 5 charities to invest in during October for the coming year. Even charities that we've donated to in the past. We examine their performance both in projects or goals completed, the progress toward the same, and what percentage of every dollar is used to fulfill their stated mission.
To keep a 'face' on helping others, we will also periodically 'adopt' a family in need, so to speak, to offer temporary help with groceries or gas so that it takes makes for a reduced burden while getting back on their feet. We work through our church pastor to help with this.
This has been our way of reaching out to those in need since the beginning of our marriage 32 years ago, even when we were struggling to make ends meet. It was always important to us give in order to help others.
It probably will sound odd to a lot of folks for me to use a military tactical term as an analogy, but I view my money to charities as a 'force multiplier'. I want every cent of every dollar we give to help the maximum number in need.
I can either invest 50 dollars to house one homeless person for one night in a motel, or I can leverage that same amount to house 10 individuals for a week at a Shelter or Mission. The same with food or clothing or any other number of basic needs.
This is why I do not directly give money to beggars. It is inefficient, and how it will
actually be used can be wasted and abused, which means that it doesn't help at all.
I know some may cringe at what they believe is a dehumanizing term, but that is not what I believe the term does. Begging and beggar are not terms of judgement or of morality. It is an action; a description of a method used to obtain money or items.
I use the term advisedly. As such, I refuse to adopt anybody's peculiar PC sensibilities about the use of those words. To do so would mean that I accept a premise which does not exist, or an artificial distinction in terminology that has no meaningful difference.