Charity uses digital currency to give families access to discount food items

A charity assisting Sydney families to have access to reduced cost food items has been using Australian digital currency Qoin to meet the increased demand caused by COVID-19.

Founded by a group of teachers who regularly saw children going without food and unable to focus on school, Golden Manna partnered with Food Bank to support Sydney families struggling to make ends meet.

“We established our store in Liverpool in July 2019, nine months before COVID-19. Now, it’s prevalent, it’s everyone,” Golden Manna co-founder, Natasha Hanisi said.

Hanisi said that since the pandemic hit, they’ve been catering to families of diverse backgrounds.

“We’re delivering to families in housing commission, in beautiful homes and in brand new houses. COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t discriminate on where you live or if you have two incomes in a household. People have been hit with so much debt. Even those with good jobs are just struggling, their pays have been reduced. We help families to get enough food to eat and to do so with dignity,” Hanisi said.

Since adopting Qoin, Hanisi said they’ve been able to sustain their operations.

“Joining Qoin was a no brainer for us. I knew that everything is moving towards digital currency and I knew that we needed to accept it. When Qoin was presented to me, I said: ‘Yes, let’s do it’. Government funding for Golden Manna is non-existent, so Qoin is also a great digital asset for us that we can use to help us with our operating costs,” ,” Hanisi said.

“We have over 200 products in our store, including meats, fresh produce and pantry items. By partnering with Food Bank, we’re able to offer these food items to families at a lower price and now they can pay using Qoin,” she said.

In the last 12 months, more than 28,000 Australian small businesses have joined Qoin. Built on blockchain, Qoin offers merchants and consumers a secure alternative way to connect and interact.

Qoin Australia Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Barker said: “Merchants and consumers are becoming more aware of the concept of digital currency. Global trends indicate that digital currency is the future way to conduct business.”

Barker also emphasised Qoin’s goal of supporting small businesses, saying that this goal is what sets them apart from other digital currencies.

“The more businesses that join the Qoin community, the more everyone benefits, providing a vital boost to local economies,” he said.

“Now more than ever, Australian small businesses are looking for innovative ways to sustain cashflow and make the most of their down time. Qoin enables them to do both while offering a payment method to their customers that is fast, secure and virtually contactless.”

Paulo Rizal

+ posts

Paulo Rizal is a content producer for Third Sector news. He has working experience in journalism, SEO, and social media marketing.

• Paulo Rizal

  https://www.thirdsector.com.au/author/paulo-rizalakolade-co/

  Suncorp pledges $1M to support communities affected by natural disasters
• Paulo Rizal

  https://www.thirdsector.com.au/author/paulo-rizalakolade-co/

  Foundation extends support to assist Kids Helpline services through the pandemic
• Paulo Rizal

  https://www.thirdsector.com.au/author/paulo-rizalakolade-co/

  Veteran support org extends support services to Afghan security forces
• Paulo Rizal

  https://www.thirdsector.com.au/author/paulo-rizalakolade-co/

  Foundation calls for nominations for Michelle Beets Award