I was one of those people who thought giving money might relieve the hardships and change the person to whom I gave, and usually that was just a waste of hard earned dollars.
Today when deciding whether to give or not, I look at my motives. If I give what I can afford without hardship to myself, without any expectations, then it is probably a gift from my heart and okay. If I give out of guilt or to help someone who should be helping themselves, I stop in my tracks and realize that I have fallen into a codependent trap.
Sometimes the greatest gift is letting someone else find their own way financially, to do less is to rob them of the gift of learning to survive in life.
Hugs