It really isn't that alien. I know a fair number of people in my church who do this on a small scale all the time. Paying for things for poor families; putting together Christmas boxes. When I was a kid, I remember a woman paying for a toy for me at Woolworths because I was a couple dollars short. I've done similar things -- when I work with the homeless, I routinely pay fees for them to get ID or birth certificates or their transportation.
Old American values are still out there, which include an incredible amount of charity toward our neighbors, friends and families.
A couple of years ago I was at a restaurant with my little daughter and two other little girls, who were all a bit rambunctious after their skating lesson. When it came time to pay my bill, I discovered that two older gentlemen had already paid it and left. They probably recognized me as a single mother (true, although only one child was mine) and figured that with a brood like that I could use some help. Anyway, I was very touched by their kindness and resolved to pass it on myself, perhaps to someone more needy than I. But I’m sure that God counts it to them as righteousness.