Most panhandlers won't accept food, or they'll just throw it away. It takes a few interactions with beggars asking for cash instead of fries, or large bills only for you to be replied about the whole grift. A lot of people begging aren't even homeless.
The fact is no one has to live on the streets or be hungry. They choose to live in the streets because they refuse to stop doing drugs. I know charities around my area that go around to homeless camps to hand out supplies and beg them to get clean and live in the shelter but none of them ever do.