Someone once told me that the act of giving is separate from the act of receiving. That your desire and effort to give to others is what matters regardless of what happens next. Of course, there's also guys like James Altucher that find ways to give directly and anonymously to people in his community or that he reads about in the paper

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/04/10-reasons-why-i-would-never-donate-to-a-major-charity-or-how-to-be-a-superhero-part-2/