This program began in 2006 in Dublin, Ireland when Yungchen Lhamo visited and performed at a local assisted living facility there serving elderly residents suffering from dementia and in need of long-term nursing care. Since then, the program has further developed in Upstate New York (where One Drop of Kindness is based) and included: musical performances by Yungchen, some featuring Natalie Merchant, and the use of simple Buddhist mantras, for the benefit of homeless, developmentally disabled and mentally ill residents in the area.

This ongoing program has received prominent media attention from Newsweek Magazine and Voice of America, and has inspired a similar program that was recently started in Spain.