Christmas Gift for Unhoused Hollywood Man

Saying that money is tight this year is the understatement of the century. 

That being said, there is a very sweet and kind man who writes poems on cardboard, hangs out with his pet mouse, and “fishes” for money that people are willing to give using the brilliant method of a milk gallon cut in half on a string at the end of a stick, which seems to have beencreated for COVID safety. I see him regularly at the corner of Highland and Santa Monica Blvd., and we chat regularly. 

He seems to battle mental health issues, but has no addiction issues that I have seen. He always remembers me and stops to say hi, even though I can rarely give him money — and then rarely more than a few dollars at most. 

I asked him what he wanted for Christmas today, and he said he is saving money. His goal is a little over $8,000, and I would love to help himmake a dent. I am personally planning to give him $100, but it would be honestly magical to give him more. He’s very thoughtful and brightens my day every time I see him — and seeing ashis hang out spot is so busy, I’m sure I’m not the only one. 

I will not be posting pictures of him to raise the money, for a couple reasons. First and foremost, he does not know I’m doing this, and I don’t want to freak him out. As I said, I am not intimately familiar with his mental health and I don’t want to cause paranoia. Additionally, I wantto gift to him without making it into a ~social media thing~ in any way. 

He’s a very sweet man. If I was rich I would just give him all the money myself. Since I’m not, any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance, from the bottom of my heart.