Kindred | Make a difference, close to home.

Thidas Kaveesha — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:00:03 +0000

This is a submission for the Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 1: Touch Grass

What I Built

Many people want to volunteer and contribute to their communities, but finding suitable volunteering opportunities and getting proper recognition for their contributions can be difficult.

That’s why I built Kindred, a volunteering platform that helps people discover volunteering activities near them and keep a verifiable record of their contributions.

Users can browse available volunteering activities and participate in projects that interest them. Each volunteering activity creator is provided with a QR code or digital verification code, which participants can use to verify their contribution after completing the activity.

Users can participate in multiple volunteering projects, and whenever they need to prove their volunteering experience, they can generate a detailed, verifiable document containing information about all the projects they have contributed to. This document can serve as proof of their volunteering experience for applications, portfolios, scholarships, employment opportunities, or other purposes.

Kindred also allows anyone to create and organize their own volunteering activities, making it easier for communities and organizations to connect with people who want to make a difference.

Demo

https://kindred-tau-olive.vercel.app/

Code

thidaskaveesha / volunteer-hub

centeralised application where all volunteering activities located near you so you can help them and check in using their code to collect digital rewards.

How I Built It

I used GitHub Copilot to assist with version control through MCP and to generate code based on comments and instructions.

As an open-weight model, I also used Gemma 4 with Ollama through OpenCode to assist with developing several pages of the application.

Why Does Open Innovation Matter?

Open innovation made it possible to combine open-source AI tools and models with modern development workflows without relying entirely on closed APIs. Using tools like Ollama, Gemma, and OpenCode allowed me to experiment freely, keep costs low, and have more control over how AI was used while building Kindred.

Prize Categories

Best use of Github Copilot
Best use of Gemma

My good friend want to learn: But he is a Gamer : ) He looks for goals which rewards.

Thidas Kaveesha — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 16:34:22 +0000

This is a submission for the Hacktoberfest Weekend Challenge: Build for a Friend

What I Built

I have build a docker environment simulated game for for my good friend using NextJS. my good friend has an attitude where if he don't get a reward in the process of doing he will get broing and give up on the things. and he really want to get into this docker learning. I belive it's not my friend many people has this issue. so I have build this game where they can learn and all the progress will give them a certification saying which status he is in.

Demo

Use this to learn docker: )
https://docker-de-game.vercel.app/

Code

thidaskaveesha / docker-de-game

game developed to learn docker and participating for hacktoberfest

This is a Next.js project bootstrapped with create-next-app.

Getting Started

First, run the development server:

npm run dev
# or
yarn dev
# or
pnpm dev
# or
bun dev

Open http://localhost:3000 with your browser to see the result.

You can start editing the page by modifying app/page.tsx. The page auto-updates as you edit the file.

This project uses next/font to automatically optimize and load Geist, a new font family for Vercel.

Learn More

To learn more about Next.js, take a look at the following resources:

Next.js Documentation - learn about Next.js features and API.
Learn Next.js - an interactive Next.js tutorial.

You can check out the Next.js GitHub repository - your feedback and contributions are welcome!

Deploy on Vercel

The easiest way to deploy your Next.js app is to use the Vercel Platform from the creators of Next.js.

Check out our Next.js deployment documentation for more…

View on GitHub

How I Built It

I used gemma on ollama,

One of the interesting parts of this approach is that Gemma was running locally through Ollama.

That means I could experiment with AI-assisted development without needing to send every coding request to a hosted API.

This was particularly interesting to me because open-weight models make AI development more accessible to developers who may not have access to expensive APIs or large infrastructure.

The workflow was essentially

Idea -> Gemma -> Code -> Test -> Debug -> Improve -> Repeat

Technology Stack

The main technologies used in the project are,

Next.js – application and frontend
Gemma – AI-assisted development
Ollama – local runtime for the Gemma model
Vercel – deployment

Why Does Open Innovation Matter?

It opens gates to any developer or a innovator to create his idea without stressing in financially and in law.

Prize Categories

Best Use of Gemma

DEV Community: Thidas Kaveesha

Kindred | Make a difference, close to home.

What I Built

Demo

Code

thidaskaveesha / volunteer-hub

centeralised application where all volunteering activities located near you so you can help them and check in using their code to collect digital rewards.

How I Built It

Why Does Open Innovation Matter?

Prize Categories

My good friend want to learn: But he is a Gamer : ) He looks for goals which rewards.

What I Built

Demo

Code

thidaskaveesha / docker-de-game

game developed to learn docker and participating for hacktoberfest

Getting Started

Learn More

Deploy on Vercel

How I Built It

Why Does Open Innovation Matter?

Prize Categories