I once paid for a woman's $120 grocery bill because she was taking too long finding her checkbook at the grocer and I only had three items worth under $10. I told the cashier to scan my stuff and then swiped my card. Of course, this caused even more confusion, then satisfaction, then gratitude that took up even more time, but I figured if she was in such a state that she couldn't even keep track of her money or finances she was already at her wit's end about something else. And she was, she had three kids, one of which was a teen that had left home recently and was not at "her father's" which made the woman distressed. I do require/request that all my charity be done anonymously. This is mostly because I don't want to ever be contacted for charity again, I don't want family and friends to know, and I don't want someone defending me like people do Buffet and Gates because of their donations. I sometimes wonder if Jobs actually gave to charity, but just kept it a secret from his friends and family like I do.