All About Us

Our Mission

At TentTowns, we believe that art has the power to transform lives. Inspired by the resilience of those facing homelessness, we set out to create something unique, a bridge between creativity and compassion.

Our founder, James Shepard, once experienced homelessness firsthand back in 1990. He was able to get back on his feet not only because he had the will to do so, but also because there were vital private services available that helped make that possible in the area where he had been homeless, which was Salt Lake City, Utah.

For the record, he will add that although there were actually plenty of "private" services available to assist the homeless in Salt Lake City, which included not only the Mormon Church, but also the Catholic Church, such vital services provided by the State of Utah or the City of Salt Lake City were largely non-existent comparatively. Possibly things have changed in that way these days, but then again, maybe not, since governments, including the U.S. federal government, don't seem to care much about helping the plight of homeless and impoverished citizens in this country regardless of the political party in question.

Now, however, he wants to act in that same capacity as a private citizen working to create a catalyst that helps give people the resources they need to get a roof over their heads, or to keep a roof over their heads if they're in danger of becoming homeless.

Our Vision

When you purchase or otherwise acquire a TentTowns NFT puzzle piece, you're not just acquiring art. You're also contributing to change. A portion of every sales directly supports housing initiatives, addiction treatment and/or outreach programs for homeless individuals.

As such, our NFTs serve as visual reminders of the challenges faced by those living on the streets. By owning and also trading a TentTowns NFT puzzle piece, you become an advocate and voice for the voiceless.

TentTowns is more than an NFT marketplace: it's a community of like-minded individuals who believe in art's transformative power. Join us in creating ripples of change.

How It Works

Browse:

Explore our collections of NFT jigsaw puzzle pieces right here on this website. Just click on the navigation menu at the top right of the page to find the Collections listing page. Each piece tells its own part of a bigger story and is a snapshot of resilience, hope or struggle.

Collect & Trade:

When you're ready to collect and trade NFTs that resonate with you, they are available for purchase exclusively through our OpenSea.io listing page. Individual listing pages on OpenSea are linked to directly from our galleries on this website. You can also visit our main page by searching our "TentTowns" username on the OpenSea.io website.

Impact:

TentTowns allocates for a significant portion of proceeds to directly benefit various shelter organizations and other community services that serve the homeless and hungry, including food banks. Periodically, we will also hand out cash money directly to homeless people living on the streets, either because they're not getting the help they need, or because they don't want any outside help, because there are those people who will refuse such help. But everyone needs cash in any case.

Our Promise

A top priority is to be transparent with how funds are allocated to benefit homeless people and people who are otherwise in need of assistance. Being transparent, and remaining transparent, is important to both building a positive reputation and also to maintain a positive reputation.

So to that extent, the plan is to chronicle or document everything we do in the form of handing out money and assistance. This will be done primarily in the form of video tapings that will be published to our YouTube channel or other online video-sharing services. Just check out our "Videos" page found in the menu at the top right of the page to watch published videos.

Join the Movement

Whether you're an art enthusiast, a philanthropist, are interested in trading NFTs, or are simply someone who cares, TentTowns invites you to become part of our mission. Let's create and trade art that really matters, one piece at a time!