No it isn't. Who is drawn to desperate people who will do anything for food? It's not just sincere, altruistic people who want to help. It's also perverse people who are very interested in the power to make others do anything for food and their interests are prurient.
Quite — the modest amount of support given to the “volunteers” (they’re not quite working for free) isn’t going to attract altruistic and/or ethical people, it’s more likely to attract people from the local population who need the same kind of aid and don’t mind one bit being in charge of its distribution.
Why be a progressive foot soldier if you can't get anything out of it? I'd go so far as to say charity work disproportionately attracts these types.