Trashgate-Sad that brands are taking their image above helping those in need.

It's a sad situation when it is more important for a brand to preserve their image by not allowing unsold or illegal product seized to be distributed to those in need.  But what would actually be better for the brand's image?  Destroying goods that could clothe and keep the poor and homeless warm during the cold winter months in the name of preserving "the name"? or would it go a lot further for them to just say there are some things more important than brand image and helping those in need is one of them.  Wouldn't that go a long way towards building their brand image?
I certainly understand both sides of the argument.  The last thing a brand needs are potential or existing customers seeing a homeless guy begging on the corner of Times Square with their well positioned, big brand logo shining through a long dirty beard from the chest of their jacket while a over used coffee cup shakes jingling coins in your proximity.  I mean does that really make you want to run out and buy something from that particular brand?  
Isn't that really what clothes are supposed to do?  Keep you covered and warm.  At some point, long, long ago, people wore clothes without logos, without trying to figure out what matched, without reading on the internet what celeb was wearing the latest style of shoes.  They wore shoes to keep their feet from blistering while walking.  These things don't necessarily matter anymore.  When was the last time you saw a woman wearing an incredibly uncomfortable pair of heels that just looked fantastic!
In some instances I think there needs to be a middle ground where people can just accept that someone or some brand did a very good thing.
And for that as consumers and more importantly as human beings, we should reward those brands by going out and buying their product.
What do you think?

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