Hungry, please help

i spent last week in Lexington, KY with family (my sis, bro, and 2 cute nieces). we were driving, and there was a man by the highway exit ramp with a cardboard sign that said, "Hungry, Please Help." There was a red light, so we sat near him for awhile...and i thought....

how does a guy end up holding a sign like that?
are there food pantries he could go to?
is he out of work?
what about his family?
how hungry is he really?
what drives a person to do that - what desperation?
how does it actually happen?
did he wake up and say to his wife, or girlfriend, "well, we need food, i'm going to go hold the sign by the highway and see what happens."?
how could i actually help him?

seeing things like that breaks my heart. it brings lots of questions to the front of my mind, and my life. i think God has always given me a bent toward compassion for people who need help...but it's hard and uncomfortable and inconvenient sometimes...