NBA merch designer turned to blockchain to help end world hunger

Published at: Feb. 14, 2022

When he’s not designing merch for the NBA or supplying coffee for big retailers, Shawn Kurz is fighting world hunger with the help of blockchain technology.

Motivated to mend the shortcomings of traditional charity systems, Kurz founded FoodChain Global (FCG), an organization that uses a blockchain-based ecosystem to support charitable initiatives targeting global hunger.

Enlisting the help of Cody Boyd, a former military systems engineer to lead a blockchain development team, the FCG launched digital asset products like FoodChain Global token (FOOD) and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and uses the profits to supply food to food banks.

Kurz told Cointelegraph that the project aims to bring the fight against global hunger to younger generations. The team aims to continuously provide digital products that speak to millennials and GenZ who are glued to the digital world.

“We need to relate and provide products to future generations to continue to tackle the global hunger crisis but at the same time make the products engaging and interactive.”

According to Kurz, many of the current blockchain projects, especially meme coins, have little to no contribution to the real world. He urges the community to move past the fluff and “have strong business leaders showcase the good side of the technology.”

At the moment, FCG has released Polygon-based FOOD tokens, NFTs, and crypto merchandise clothing store. The proceeds were used to supply food to the Daily Bread Food Bank and Haven on the Queensway.

“Most people who donate to charity just donate and never get to see tangible proof of that money being spent,” says Kurz. However, the FCG founder mentions that people who purchase FOOD tokens can easily track where their money goes through Polygon’s blockchain explorer.

By going through the publicly-available transactions on Polyscan, anyone can see the movements of assets within FCG’s ecosystem. With this, people can track the amount that goes to charity. Kurz says that this allows the public to hold the company accountable.

Meanwhile, crypto charities dedicated to various causes are on the rise. Many blockchain-based projects have contributed to philanthropic initiatives, raising millions of dollars. Crypto donations platform The Giving Block reported in February that crypto donations multiplied by 16 times in 2021.