201905.22

Homeless people on LA’s Skid Row to get free dental, health care as part of ‘Humanitarian Day’ event

by jeff in News

This Memorial Day weekend marks the 20th year in a row when Muslim volunteers reach out to homeless people and others in need on Skid Row with free health services, food, clothing, and other assistance in the closing days of Ramadan.

On Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, five “Humanitarian Day” charitable events are planned in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. The outreach grew from an effort that the South Los Angeles-based Islamic ILM (Intellect, Love and Mercy) Foundation started in the downtown Los Angeles homeless community in 2000.

Activities at all locations begin at 10 a.m.

Girl Scouts volunteer at one of the annual Humanitarian Day events that provide free health services and other assistance to homeless people in Southern California during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. (Courtesy of Dustin Shepard)
Umar A. Hakim, executive director of Islamic ILM Foundation in South Los Angeles, started the annual Humanitarian Day outreach in Southern California that provides free health services and other assistance to homeless people during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. (Courtesy of Dustin Shepard)
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A volunteer helps out at a Humanitarian Day event in Southern California that provides free health services and other assistance to homeless people annually during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. (Courtesy of Dustin Shepard)
A volunteer works on a man’s teeth at a Humanitarian Day event that provides free health services and other assistance to homeless people annually in Southern California during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. (Courtesy of Dustin Shepard)

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The annual event has grown beyond Skid Row and now involves hundreds of volunteers and the support of such organizations as UMMA Community Clinic, Claremont Lincoln University, and Orange County Islamic Foundation.

Free health services are only offered at the Skid Row event on Sunday May 26, and include: dental screenings, cleanings and extractions; blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and hepatitis tests; glucose screening; and medical referrals.

In Orange County, the event is only for volunteers to pack giveaway bags that they will deliver to the Courtyard homeless shelter in Santa Ana. Volunteers must be 18 and will gather at Islamic Center of Santa Ana, 1610 E. First St., Santa Ana.

Volunteers at these other locations will distribute bags with hygiene kits, notebooks and other supplies to homeless people: Islah LA, 2900 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles; Central Park, 37 E. Del Mar Blvd., Pasadena; Sahaba Initiative, 1887 Business Center Drive, Suite 3, San Bernardino.

For more information or to volunteer, go to humanitarianday.com.