People are so generous to panhandlers in the Bend area, that we're getting a reputation among transients that we're a great place to visit to get money. That's according to the head of the Downtown Bend Business Association. “This is really going to hock some people, but there is actually a texting network amongst some transients around the northwest and the west.”   Chuck Arnold says people are very generous here and the word is getting out: “I actually spoke to someone from northern California, that were here a couple of months ago and luckily, they’re gone now. But some transients that were performing some bad behavior downtown and they said they actually got a text from someone in Medford, and it said Bend was a good place to go, because you can get a god handout there.” He says social workers report that about 90% of the cash given to panhandlers goes to drugs and alcohol.  The downtown area can get more panhandlers during the warmer months.