Which has the greater reward from Allah: donating a whole live sheep to a poor family for them to slaughter, or buying its equivalent in meat and distributing it to several poor families?

The reward for charity is magnified the more widespread its benefit and the greater the number of people who benefit from it. This is based on Al-Manawi's statement: "The best charity is providing water, because its benefit is the most widespread." Accordingly, buying a quantity of meat and distributing it to multiple families is better than offering a sacrifice for a single family, if the families are equally in need.