Pennsylvania-based pharmacist Kenneth Kim had at all times “wished to do one thing with crypto” that might “make the world a greater place”.

In 2019, he based what is understood at the moment as Crypto for the Homeless (CFTHL), a New Jersey registered non–revenue group, which has fed greater than 5,000 homeless individuals around the globe via using digital currencies.

“I at all times had the need to get entangled with some type of undertaking in crypto… if it made the world higher that might be the very best state of affairs,” Kim instructed Cointelegraph.

While he was a pharmacy pupil at Temple College in Philadelphia between 2018 and 2021, Kim would stroll previous scores of homeless individuals simply on his route between the campus and his house.

It was additionally round this time that the brand new Blade Runner 2049 film was launched, depicting a dystopian future the place individuals are augmented by know-how, however the hole between wealthy and poor are as extensive as ever.

As an alternative of begging for cash, the homeless had been begging for digital credit.

“I assume the film is making an attempt to convey that we’re thus far sooner or later that even the homeless individuals have utterly adopted this new approach of utilizing forex.”

How crypto matches into the image

It was then that Kim obtained the concept of utilizing crypto to gather and distribute funds to assist these in want.

“Principally, after that, I used to be pondering what if I can make the most of that to extra effectively gather funds for the homeless individuals, and possibly I can exit and provides them meals?”

On April 28, 2019, Kim delivered his first 4 meals to the Philadephia homeless. Three years later, this group has celebrated its third anniversary, feeding hundreds globally via the assistance of crypto donations and a tireless volunteer community.

Kim stated one of many most important causes he selected to make use of crypto was due to its decentralized nature. Funds can’t be frozen or locked away by authorities.

“The principle purpose I truly started the undertaking with crypto is that I had actually dangerous experiences with PayPal.”

The pharmacist stated there have been quite a lot of events the place PayPal would shut down or freeze accounts for various causes.

“I did not like the concept there is a central energy that at any second can do this […] So I used to be pondering, if I take advantage of crypto, it is actually unattainable for that to occur. I’ve final management of it.”

The secondary purpose, is that it considerably cuts down the hurdles to reimbursing his volunteers internationally, stated Kim.

Volunteer from nicaragua doing nice deeds. That is what crypto can do to raised the world#Crypto #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #BitcoinCash #philadelphia #ethereum #Philanthropy #BCH #BTC #homeless #homelessness #charity pic.twitter.com/AiChElkNFq

— Crypto for the homeless (@CRYPTOFTHL) March 22, 2022

CFTHL’s mannequin works by reimbursing volunteers who purchase scorching meals and hand-deliver them to homeless individuals of their native areas. Volunteers would offer receipts to proof the meals they bought, and photos of the homeless individuals receiving it. Upon verification that the act was genuine, Kim’s group would reimburse the volunteers with the crypto of their selection.

“We have had a fairly vital quantity of individuals volunteer for us abroad, and since we use crypto, I used to be capable of simply probably not fear about any type of wiring payment or something like that.”

The human side

In a press release about CFTHL’s three-year anniversary, Kim stated his group “by no means got down to clear up homelessness”, however fairly to re-introduce the human side of charity – one thing which was “sorely lacking from most different initiatives.”

CFTHL volunteers are required to hunt out homeless individuals and ship meals to them personally with a purpose to be reimbursed.

“[It’s about] bodily [being] there handing the meals out, like regardless of the place they’re, particularly if it is the center of the freeway, or like underneath a bridge of their tent.”

Kim felt that many charities “lacked the human side” to it, which is one thing that at all times bothered him.

“It felt like loads of them had been actually chilly, you realize, they lacked the human side to it. If I donate to a soup kitchen or Purple Cross, I wouldn’t actually see the consequences of it. I do not assume they publish on social media or publish photos or something like that, so I am not even positive what’s occurring with the cash.”

CFTHL tracks each donation acquired by the group from its beginnings and gives a public ledger permitting these to see how the funds are being spent.

New publish: Knowledge at a Look: Whole Donations https://t.co/0tNM5zegtz #Crypto #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #BitcoinCash #philadelphia #ethereum #Philanthropy #BCH #BTC #homeless #homelessness #charity

— Crypto for the homeless (@CRYPTOFTHL) June 6, 2022

Crypto for the Homeless continues to be a comparatively small group, with solely two full-time employees and round 10-20 volunteers working regularly. His group has collected near $75,000 in donations since being based.

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Kim runs the group alongside working as a full-time pharmacist at CVS Pharmacy in Pennsylvania. The founder is hoping to push for a further 3-5 volunteers over the subsequent few years and to increase his operations to extra international locations.

So far, his group has fed homeless individuals in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Thailand, India, and lots of others.