The coronavirus cases in the United States reached an all-time high, with 200,000 people testing positive each day. Hospitals were close to full capacity, while I am bored at home, pacing back and forth, wondering what I can do to help the community. But I am just a high school student. How do I achieve my fullest potential?

I found the answer after reading the story of Susan. It was a freezing night during the pandemic when Susan curled up in a blanket on the street. Her back injury left her out on the streets without a job. She was anxious, “How can I get through this cold winter? The shelters now have limited space due to the COVID guidelines requirement to keep the beds six feet apart. I also don’t have any masks to protect myself.” In fact, the efforts to mitigate the spread of coronavirus among the houseless has been a challenge. As reported by The Washington Post during the outbreak of the pandemic, more than 273 people in a houseless shelter tested positive in Washington D.C., with 10 people dying in one day.

So, from that day on, my sister and I partnered to collect and donate masks to Bridges Outreach. Bridges Outreach is a nonprofit organization seeking to end houselessness through outreach, serving over 20,000 clients. We created a website and a video to promote mask collection and posted the video and website link on social media — Facebook, Nextdoor, YouTube, and Instagram. When I developed the website and the video, I thought getting a donation of 100 masks would be great. But, after a week, we did not even collect one mask. Two days later, an idea popped into my head: Why didn’t we reach out to the mask manufacturers to ask for their mask donations directly?

Through phone calls and emails, my sister and I reached out to more than 160 manufacturers of masks and hand sanitizer for donations. At the end, we received nearly 5,000 masks and 100 hand sanitizers! We packed them into 2,000 individual bags for Bridges Outreach to facilitate the distribution of the masks and the hand sanitizers to the houseless.

A month later, we further expanded our volunteer idea to help food pantries, such as Fulfill New Jersey and Philabundance, that have a shortage of masks and hand sanitizers. Additionally, we are also helping the Arbor Roseland Long Term Care Facility and the University of Southern California Verdugo Hills Hospital to collect masks to give back to health care workers who are saving numerous lives during the coronavirus pandemic. After this donation project, I became determined to share my story to others through the HOSA Prepared Speaking competition, earning sixth place in the Northern Regionals Competition. More importantly, I hope my stories inspire others to make an impact during the coronavirus pandemic as well.

If underserved communities and people who are houseless have access to masks and hand sanitizer, not only can we lower the numbers of COVID-19 cases among them, but we can also prevent the spread of this deadly disease to other people walking nearby.