These charity collectors- Why?

[Rupert]

Don't misunderstand me, I appreciate that giving to charity is important, and yes I do give a modest sum each week as well as a couple of annual donations to my favourite groups, but does anyone else think the numbers of buckets getting shaken under our noses each time we venture through Bishops Park is getting a bit stupid?

First of all, are these people legitimate collectors? The police seem to leave them alone, but I asked one of the information officers at the club a few weeks ago and he said as they were nothing to do with Fulham he honestly didn't know.
Today I had two people shaking buckets at me almost before I got out of Putney Bridge tube station.
Then I had a group offer me free sweets, yes, go on, wait until Lent has started before offering me free sweets. Will you be there after Easter when I'm back on the choccy? No, didn't think so. (These were nothing to do with charities, it was some sort of promotion, but their timing is annoying.)
A lady in pink with another bucket waited at the gates to the park.
Another couple with buckets lurked near the International Brigades memorial.
Finally, the usual bucket next to each programme seller awaited me.

The thing is, the first couple of games I was dropping the odd pound or fifty pence into the bucket, but then it got so regular that I started to ignore them. Is anyone else in the same boat or am I finally turning into a moaning old git?

[YankeeJim]

My wife sent $20 to a telephone charity call. They now call at least monthly despite my requests to quit calling and I now get calls from several other supposedly unrelated outfits. The format & talk paths are the same. I visualize a large room with a lot of folks sitting by a telephone and a supervisor walking around and saying, "here, your disabled vets, you cancer, you heart sickness..." etc.

[FatFreddysCat]

You should always Give what you can to charity, or to help others out. Believe it or not, my Nigerian half brother has just had his bank account frozen by the powers that be. He has £40 million in that account and needs to transfer the money out as quick as possible. If you can send £50k to him to bribe bank officials he will trasnsfer all the money to your account (please supply your details)and will reward you with £5 million for your trouble. If not my Haitian Cousin is collecting........ ::)

[Peabody]

Thing is these collectors were there way before the Hiatian tragedy, collecting for disadvantaged children. They do wear what looks like accreditation but I wonder. Wish someone could clarify the situation. I really do not mind giving but I need to know that I am not lining some undeserving person.