“It’s not about helping me,” he said. “It’s about helping my customers.”

Mr. Alwan said he had inherited his altruistic spirit from his father, who has owned the bodega, a short walk from Crotona Park, for more than a decade. “When I was a little kid, anyone that would ask my dad for credit, he’d always help them.”

In the past month, Mr. Alwan said, math-game winners had been rewarded with more than $400 worth of goods. He covers the cost from the $350 paycheck he gets every two weeks.

He started a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for the groceries won during the game, and he has already raised around $9,000. He said that he would use the money to replace the items he gives away and to make donations to needy customers.

The bodega workers who make TikTok videos all seem to feel that the relationship between customers and those who work in the stores is unique.

“Going to your neighborhood bodega, it’s kind of wholesome,” Mr. Calzado said. “You know the guy behind the counter, you know the guys walking in. You feel comfortable. There’s a sense of family. I think people can feel that. Or they want to.”

That feeling is part of what has sparked mass interest. Mr. Alwan, Mr. Calzado and Mr. Alsaedi all said they had received messages from around the United States, and beyond.