Yes you could, and this might be a good idea if space was short.

I keep the batteries seperatly though.
I keep large battery stocks, and prefer to keep these in the suppliers packs.
It is easier to rotate stocks that way, and keep an eye on the dates.

I subscribe to the golden rule when it comes to providing surplus aid to others.

"Surplus" being the key.

Precisely. I would not ask someone to share what they can't afford to do without, and I would not be able to share what I need to survive with others just because they failed to plan adequately for themselves. That just makes victims of us both, which is irresponsible on my part.

Yeah, better that way. If an alkaline battery decides to leak it won't ruin the light or your other gear.

I've found it helpful to keep a couple extra snow shovels in the garage, as there always seems to be a neighbor that needs one when the first big snowstorm hits. That, and an extra small first aid kit to give away when someone's kid has a scrape and they don't have any band-aids/plasters.