We understand that life’s road can get bumpy and people need help sometimes.

We don’t begrudge those who need such things as a hot meal, a place to sleep or counseling services. That some people fall through the cracks of our economic system is just a fact of life. It has long been that way and is likely to be ever thus. Fortunately, there are services – some tax supported, some privately underwritten – to help individuals and families in need.

We are fortunate to live in a society that provides assistance for people who need it, and from many different directions: The state, cities and towns, churches and an assortment of human service agencies all have people and programs dedicated to helping people get the services they need, be it housing, food or navigating the health care maze.

Many of them were represented at Wednesday’s Project Homeless Connect, an annual event founded by the Nashua Continuum of Care and held this year at the St. Patrick Center on Main Street.

Dozens of agencies were represented, including Marguerite’s Place, Greater Nashua Mental Health Center, New Hampshire Legal Assistance, the Salvation Army, the Adult Learning Center and the Front Door Agency, formerly the Pastoral Care Center.

The people running those agencies do good work, and if you want to know more about some of the people they help, you probably need look no further than that pages of this newspaper, where we’ve carried several stories about some of the people – including many working families with children – who will benefit from The Telegraph’s Santa Fund.

And then you have the panhandlers, a group of people who spend their days standing in the median by some of the area’s busier roadways, holding signs that ask people to give them money.

It’s a virtual certainty that not all people who beg for money are alike in motivation and circumstance. Some probably have legitimate mental health issues that make it difficult for them to find and keep work. Some may have addiction problems. Others, we suspect, could find work if they really wanted, but choose to panhandle because it allows them to make more money – or allows them to make at least some money – without paying taxes or the hassle of having to answer to a boss. We suspect the lack of accountability is a big part of the appeal.

We were struck by how well-organized the panhandlers seemed when we talked to them this week, and a bit shocked when one man said he can sometimes make as much as $100 per day.

A couple of selectmen in Hudson favor passage of an ordinance to ban such activity in town. We think it’s worth considering, as long as it’s narrowly constructed to address the specific problem at hand.

And it is a problem. Let’s face it, when the first thing a motorist sees when they cross into your city or town is people begging for money, that doesn’t exactly help a community’s image and suggest stability. Passing a panhandling ban would send a message to erstwhile beggars that such activity is undesirable, while also giving police another tool at their disposal.

But a ban, however, isn’t a cure-all. There is more that could be done.

The best thing we can suggest is for motorists to stop giving money to panhandlers. Giving them cash not only might not be helping them, it could even be counterproductive in the long run if it prevents them from going to one of the region’s legitimate human service agencies to get help from professionals.

If you feel the need to help the homeless or indigent this holiday season, we encourage you to so by seeking out one of those agencies and make a donation.

You may be helping the panhandlers down the road.

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