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Four close friends and recent graduates from Saint Joseph’s University want their Philadelphia neighbors to know that it’s OK to ask for help. That’s why Carter Karpinski, Gavin Kuebler, Alex Andahazy and Dennis Coyne launched “Kind Strangers,” a project providing pay-what-you-can labor services to anyone in the Philadelphia region in need of a helping hand.
“Our system is pay-what-you-can, but if you can’t, then we are still willing to help you, and we try to make sure that people don’t feel bad if they can’t pay us,” Andahazy said.
Carter Karpinski, Gavin Kuebler, Alex Andahazy and Dennis Coyne, four recent graduates from Saint Joseph’s University, launched “Kind Strangers,” a project providing pay-what-you-wish labor services to anyone in the Greater Philadelphia area in need of a helping hand. The group holds a TV given to them from a community member as a “thank you” for their services. (Hannah Pajtis for WHYY)
From dream to reality
The idea for Kind Strangers came to Karpinski after he started doing housework for a local woman who recently had surgery and didn’t have nearby relatives. Karpinski cleaned her house, cooked for her, and the two went on walks.
As they spent more time together, Karpinski began to think about how many people in Philadelphia need assistance with various tasks but are too afraid to ask for help.
“At one point I just got the thought, ‘There’s a lot of people like this, and I wish I could do something,’” Karpinski said. “And I was like, ‘I can. I have that power. I have that time.’”
The next day, Karpinski called Kuebler, and they talked about different ways they could help the community with tasks and jobs. Soon after, they brought Andahazy and Coyne into the project and titled the group “Kind Strangers.” They created an Instagram account, posted about their services on Reddit and launched a website with a form to ask for help.
“It was just the idea of helping people that don’t have a lot of the resources that I, at this point in my life, have the luxury of having,” Karpinski said.
The group has completed about 30 jobs since the graduates started the project two weeks ago and have received over 200 requests. Karpinski said he’s responded to all of them and tries to honor requests based on the order in which they’re received and each person’s responsiveness. Most group members have flexible work schedules, making scheduling easier.
“It takes up all of our free time, and we’re pretty happy about it,” Coyne said.