Unsung: The App That Wants to 'Hack Hunger'
Unsung is a new app coming to the public shortly that leverages the sharing economy and Bitcoin to “hack hunger.” Americans battling hunger in the U.S. is a significant problem with 49 million people going without food daily. The Unsung platform offers a different approach by engaging in social media and building a community that’s rewarded for its charity.
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Unsung is an online community or social media platform where people can view good deeds in “real time.” The idea is for local grocers, restaurants, caterers or anyone with large amounts of leftover food to donate what would otherwise be thrown out. Anyone of these groups can join Unsung and notify the network stating that they have extra food. Members of the online community can view these food announcements and offer to deliver them to those in need. People who need food can also broadcast this to the community alerting members of a location to where the food can be sent.
All of this can be watched live much like the Uber ride-sharing application. Users will earn a reputation for doing good deeds by receiving badges, points and tips in bitcoin from the community (altcoins are also accepted via ShapeShift). People can browse the list of these “Unsung Heroes” and view pictures of donated meals showing the charity in action. Leaders within the community can be tipped directly with the digital currency providing an economic incentive to help the hungry.
The Unsung website explains:
First, when you have people competing against each other for who can do the most good, everyone wins. And secondly, you can view those doing the most good in your neighborhood and tip them directly. No wondering where your donation went. Hunger in the United States is an enormous problem. Unsung leverages the sharing economy and you so that we can soon say, ‘Hunger was an enormous problem.’
The Unsung app was created by Jason King, Steve Dakh, Jonathan Cooper, Dean Masley, and Bryce Case Jr. The project was first announced at the Coin Congress 2015 event by Sean’s Outpost founder Jason King, and was also showcased at The North American Bitcoin Conference in Miami. 
“Food waste and scarcity is found in every American town and city,” Masley told Bitcoin.com. “From a business model perspective, this type of problem benefits greatly from a sharing economy solution which matches existing supply with demand. Thus it’s better to be launched everywhere as an app, as an alternative to a single company hiring employees and buying infrastructure to cover the same geographical area.”
He further explained:
We are taking the success story from Uber and Airbnb to leverage excess food providers in communities across the US with volunteers and charities in those communities to create self-run food charity networks. Instead of creating new institutions and soup kitchens, we give these existing institutions the tool to organize food pickup, donations, and delivery. Thus unifying the community’s common goal to #HackHunger.
The organization Unsung.org can also be donated to directly with bitcoin and is tax deductible since it’s a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The group is headquartered in Baltimore, MD and is currently testing the application in the city. Plans to roll out into other cities will follow shortly after the platform is perfected.
Just as Sean’s Outpost Homeless Outreach fed people with over 160,000 meals, King aims to build the Unsung model further by concentrating its resources across the U.S. King told Bitcoin.com that he believes the sharing economy will change the precedent and reduce hunger across the world if we all do our part to help.
Do you think Unsung has a good chance of “hacking” hunger? Let us know in the comments below!
Images courtesy of the Unsung Website
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