I did something similar earlier this week. I have a couple of level 16+ characters that have an abundance of cash. Two characters are PVE Monks that are unlockers for my PvP character. I stay out of the fray and never bothered to buy the best armor for them.
I was in post-sear Ascalong bringing up a new ranger and partnered up with someone very new to the game (he seemed quite young too). My wife happened to be standing behind me and said "You should help him out a bit". So I helped him get money and stuff to get the good armor from Ascalon and gave him a good hammer. 6,000 gold, 6 fur squards and lots of iron/wood he was all set.
In the end, the 6k gold and iron really didn't matter. The fur is a bit tougher to come by, but none of my monks need it.
I think everyone should help at least one person. Sometimes it'll spur that person to help someone new later on... sometimes not
