Re: It's the best kind of charity
You have a point, but I don't think that's the case here.
There may be some things you don't want to tell your family/friends about because helping people is nothing special. It's what you should be doing anyway for others who need it, so why give it recognition?
You're right that some people might view it as shameful, but there are other reasons for not telling your family such as there's no real point to telling them or you did it because you want to help, not because you want your family to gush over you and think you're a saint.