Never Done: Handed an apple to a man standing at an intersection

I woke up at 5 AM to drive to Potomac, MD to visit Josh's mom, and to look together with his sister at the Hebrew Home, because they are considering whether she needs to move to a nursing home. We got on the road by 5:30 AM, which was early enough so that we missed traffic all the way down. As we pulled off 495, and started to navigate through the long straight Potomac area roads, we pulled up alongside a man with a sign that said he was homeless, and that asked for some money.

We had a bag with apples in the car, and without really thinking about it, I rolled down the window, and asked him if he would like an apple. He walked over to us, and said that yes, he would. I handed one to him. Our hands touched. We looked into each other's eyes. He thanked me. I told him to take care, and he told me, "God bless you." Then the light turned green, and we drove on to the Hebrew Home, and he stayed on the median strip asking for help.

I've given money or food many times to people who asked, but I've never done it from the car, and I felt like I was going through some sort of drive-thru, only I was the one handing out food. Also, it's different to have a traffic signal dictate the length of a human interaction, rather than we the people. But we did have time for a human interaction. We touched; we saw; we acknowledged; we spoke. And the connection we made, though short and small, was real. As I drove away to help take care of a woman who has a loving family, I wondered if this man also is close to his family, and if there is a safety net beyond that apple.