Father “Dollar Bill” Hands Out Money to Homeless on Skid Row

Father Maurice Chase, known as Father "Dollar Bill" has spent his Sundays talking with and giving money to homeless residents of Los Angeles' Skid Row for over 24 years.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on May 12 2009

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For the homeless people living in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, there’s not much to hope for—except on Sundays.

That’s when Father Maurice Chase, better known as Father Dollar Bill, hands out thousands of dollars in cash to the people who need it most outside of the local Salvation Army. Some people receive single dollar bills, others receive $20s, and some receive as much as $100.

“The Lord tells me who needs it most,” Chase told the LA Daily News.

Father Chase, now 90 years old, has spent every Sunday helping the people of Skid Row for more than 24 years, and estimates that he has given out more than $100,000 over the years. The money comes from his Skid Row Charities Fund, which has received donations from celebrities including Barbara Streisand.

He was inspired on his mission by a long-ago encounter with Mother Theresa.

“She told me, ‘Touch the poor,’” Chase told the Daily News. “And, every Sunday, I touch the poor.”

Although Chase is getting up there in years, he plans to continue doing his weekly meetings with the poor for as long as he possibly can.

“There’s a greater joy in giving than receiving,” he told NPR’s Weekend Edition. “I’m just giving, giving, giving. I’m not bragging about it, I’m just telling you what makes me happier than any priest in the United States.”

Watch a video of Father Chase passing out money on Skid Row from NPR’s Weekend Edition.

 

Filed under: General Interest, Heroes,

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