In the city, they're invisible, that is until they're not. You may see them sleeping under an overpass, in a park, or on the street. They are New Jersey's homeless and in Hoboken, both Starbucks and Panera bread have shuttered their dining rooms in an attempt to keep them out. According to Patch, a recent fight between two homeless men led to their decision to close the dining area.

Caroline Scherrer is the co-founder of People For The Poor, which helps to fund homeless shelters and soup kitchens throughout South Jersey. Caroline called me on New Jersey 101.5 to give her thoughts.

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"The only word actually that really comes to me is desperation and, you know, complete lack of hope," says Scherrer.

"I told a story last week at our annual dinner. This guy I've been talking to, he calls me every once in a while, and he said, Caroline, I have to tell you, my brother was in Atlantic City and visiting friends. And he couldn't believe the amount of homeless that were in Atlantic City."

"But the thing that hit him the most was looking into their eyes. And the complete lack of hope. I mean, think about that, like having absolutely no hope whatsoever that you're going to get out of that situation."

"Who wants to be homeless, who wants to be out, living on the street, hoping to find a blanket to keep them warm? Hoping that somebody gives them a pair of socks."

"I have to bring socks in because the socks that they have, have holes in them. And their feet have blisters on their toes. It's stupid, stupid, stupid little things that make a person just have no sense of worth. They're hopeless. They just feel so unloved. And that's putting it mildly."

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There are people who are hesitant to give money to homeless people, or maybe they don't have any to give. One thing they could use as Caroline says is socks. You could either buy new ones and keep them under your seat, or take those unmatched socks that have been living in your washroom for years and keep them in the car just in case you run into someone who could use them to keep warm.

If you're looking to give money to homeless people knowing that it absolutely helps them click on People For The Poor.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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