Man. I stopped on the side of the road the other day to help a guy with a "need gas" sign. I'm not exactly well off myself, but I figured I could give him a ride. "I ain't got no cash, but thanks for stopping!" Dude's driving a pristine pavement princess. Priorities, man...
That's why I stopped, primarily. I don't have a lot to give, but I can give some time, so I figured I'd help out how I could. Knowing it's probably just a ploy for money is annoying, especially considering all of the other panhandlers around that do actually need help.