The counter argument that picking and choosing creates a sense of priority and “missing out”. Because even if you didn’t actually want the canned peaches (NOBODY wants canned peaches), you are worried that the person ahead of you got it. Which tends to lead toward discontent or outright discouragement amongst those who “don’t really need it and are doing fine”.

Whereas the box of food set aside by the volunteers? Half of you got canned peaches and the other half canned beets. While people are annoyed they got the god awful peaches, they at least feel better because “everyone is in this together” and so forth.

Charity is a shockingly hard problem because so many people will insist they don’t actually need any help and so many things can create a barrier to make them decide it isn’t worth their time or the hit to their pride. And different models tend to appeal to different people. But, from talking to some of the organizers at a food bank I used to volunteer at a couple years ago, the “take what you need” model tends to pull in more “dumpster diving college kids” rather than “actual people in need”. But I suspect a lot of that is also a function of it having been in a college town.