This statement is true.
Gift economy (gift culture, gift exchange) is a mode of exchange where goods or services are given without an agreement about payment or trade in return.
This contrasts with market economy where goods and services are exchanged for value received. Instead of monetary gains, gift economies rely on non-materialistic rewards such as honor, prestige, community, sense of contribution. It creates a system where people give according to their abilities and receive according to their needs.
Gift economy was the first type in existence. In prehistory, groups of people collaborated to hunt and to feed others, in exchange of shelter or some kind of applied care, sometimes just out of good will, for nothing in return.