It never hurts to pay it forward ..... I have done so several times in my life ... and yes, there are always the moochers, but one can usually tell if a person's need is genuine, and if you can help.
I have become " hardened" by all the panhandlers we run across in our travels. I generally wave them off before they even get a chance to start their hard luck story.
This frustrates me because some are real and just have had a run of bad luck...but the bad ones spin such tales that you can no longer tell the difference between them.
Every now and then you can identify a real one as you did...when you do, it's easy to help and it's right to do so..
I just wish honesty was more prevelant so we could turn off the filters we have to employ in so many aspects of our lives today.....
I knew a nice, clean looking guy that developed a drug problem.
He told me he could pull into a gas station, pop the hood, and pretty quickly raise $100-$200 to buy an Alternator.
Since then, I wave them off, too.