When the COVID-19 cases surged in the U.S., my sister and I began to ponder what we could do as students to help curb the spread of this deadly virus in our community. After thorough research, we discovered that houseless people are urgently in need of masks and sanitizers. An outbreak occurred at a San Francisco shelter, leading to a 12 percent surge in positive cases, becoming the largest outbreak in shelters across the country. This gave us the idea that if we are able
We identified a missing piece of the COVID puzzle that helped lower the spread of coronavirus in our community to provide enough masks and hand sanitizers to the houseless, we will be able to address their unmet needs and indirectly curb the spread of this virus in our community.

In September 2020, my sister and I partnered with Bridges, an organization serving the homeless in our neighborhood to distribute masks and sanitizers to people experiencing homelessness. Then, we leveraged the power of social
media by creating a video asking for medical supply donations, posting it on several social media platforms. After receiving only two boxes of masks, we knew we needed to think of other strategies in order to get more Personal Protective Equipment.

After brainstorming different ideas with my sisters, we reached out directly to protective equipment companies, thinking they may have extra supplies and would be willing to help the less fortunate. Luckily, after emailing more than 150 sanitizer and mask suppliers, we were able to collect 5,000 masks and 100 sanitizers. To ensure each homeless recipient could have an adequate supply of masks and sanitizers, my sister and I packed the supplies into smaller, more convenient packs for each person.

In order to reach out to more people in need across the country, we also collected Personal Protective Equipment for Verdugo Hills Hospital, Arbor Roseland Assisted Living, Philabundance, and Fulfill NJ, resulting in a total of 20,000 PPE. Fortunately, through the COVID-19 donation project, we identified a missing piece of the COVID puzzle that helped lower the spread of coronavirus in our community.