I think you misunderstood the situation. Giving the students $100 in btc was not a charitable donation. Most of these students don't need handouts.Instead they are trying to draw more bright young minds into BTC. A lot of valuable contributions, startups, and innovation could come from a select group like this.
A $100 "donation" to MIT students will likely go a lot further then giving $100 to a homeless person/shelter. The MIT student will likely eventually contribute to society in some way (hopefully this project will make some of them make their contribution somewhat bitcoin related). On the other hand the homeless simply drain from society