Plus, there actually is some real potential power in giving out those whistles for free.
See, people don't like to turn down free stuff. "Completely free?" So you might pick one up with vaguely good intentions, but no expectation to actually use it.
But now you have it. Now if a situation came up where you might use it, it's burning a hole in your pocket, so to speak. You have the thing right there, shouldn't you do something?
Small things can sometimes be incredibly persuasive.