Hmmm... I see nothing pathetic about a homeless person's attempt to make money and break away from homelessness. More power to them!
I may not be interested in having my name written on a grain of rice, but if I saw a homeless person doing it, I'd probably buy it.
Obviously, writing a name on a grain of rice requires considerable skill: One needs very good vision, excellent hand-eye coordination, and quite a steady hand. Nothing pathetic about that!
Nor do I see anything wrong with helping a homeless person, especially when that person is genuinely trying to do something about overcoming his/her predicament.