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I have been approached several times at gas stations and fast food restaurants. My rule is to never give money but to help otherwise. Most times when it is clear that they aren't getting money they leave. However a few really did want/need gas/food or what have you.

My most memorable story is when I lived in OKC, this clearly alcoholic middle aged guy approaches me with a sob story about needing money for gas so he can get to a hospital in Norman to see his dad who had a stroke (about 45 minutes away). I offered to fill up his car for him. But he didn't want to trouble me with that because his car was a block over (???). I offer to buy a gas can at the gas station we were parked in so that he could at least get enough gas to put in his car without "troubling" me. But no, that wouldn't work either (it might not be enough gas, after all) I offer to call a cab, and prepay his ride to the hospital but no he couldn't accept such generosity. I literally offer to drive him there myself...just drop everything and go. But no, he would be stuck down there with no way of getting back to okc. And about that time I guess he decided that he should go con someone else because he then hurried away belly aching that he needed to see his pops.

I turn around and one of the regulars at the gas station is laughing and said that guy was a known panhandler and that was his default story. I figured as much but on the off chance that he was sincere I was going to do whatever I could to help him. I have had enough people accept help that I try to keep an ear open for them while still trying to weed out the crap