“Oh, dear! You are so sweet! Anyway,I had only one son who was called up and was killed in a bat-tle just a few days before.I bought so many new clothes for him. So, I thought why not ___my son's clothes for some other soldiers, so that I would control my sorrow and would be happy thinking that my own son has worn it
In this context, "spare" is a more appropriate word than "distribute" because it conveys the meaning of giving away something that is not currently being used or needed. The woman is suggesting that she has clothes that her son can no longer wear, and that she wants to give them to other soldiers who may be able to use them. "Distribute" may imply a more systematic or organized approach to giving away the clothes, whereas "spare" conveys a more personal and emotional motive.
spare 一般指的是将你现有的物品,或从某一个整体中匀出一部分来(分给其他人)。譬如 抽出点时间来做某事 spare some time to do sth;spare some food with sb, 把食物匀给xx。
distribute 基本上是由上而下的通过某种特定、固定的渠道将物品分发出去。
个人拙见,仅供参考。