I feed the squirrels and a family of raccoons outside my house all the time. The squirrels will eat out of my hand now but the Raccoons are a little more skittish - although every now and then they hang out on my back porch and wait for a snack.

I made good with the raccoons last year when one of the babies had gotten stuck in one of our trash cans late one night. The poor little guy was screeching like crazy and the mom was frantically trying to get him out while the other kids watched from on top of a wooden fence. I put on the burliest set of gardening gloves I had and a heavy Army coat (just in case - raccoons can be ornery), grabbed a flashlight and went outside. At first the mom stared at me and made a few nasty, threatening sounds but I really think she got the vibe that I was there to help because she eventually hung back and let me reach into the can, lift the baby out and put it right next to her. She cleaned him off and they went on their way. Ever since then, she's been really friendly.