Source: The Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1019/p13s01-lire.html
Two rows of tables, stretching the length of the gymnasium, are neatly stacked with brand-new items: warm sweat shirts and caps in several
colors, thick socks, bright yellow ponchos to ward off the weather, and
hygiene kits stocked with towels, toothpaste and a toothbrush, soap,
and a comb. There are bags of food, bottles of water, and, for the
children, backpacks and toys.
Young Muslims in matching T-shirts stand ready to help those coming
through the line to pick the right size or color. Downstairs in the
Tobin Community Center, another cadre of volunteers, including medical
students, give health screenings and answer questions about dental care.
During their holy month of Ramadan, local Muslim organizations in
Boston have joined together to host their first Humanitarian Day for
the Homeless.
The charitable event is already a five-year tradition in Los Angeles,
where it began under the auspices of the ILM Foundation and Islamic
Relief, an international relief and development agency based in Buena
Park, Calif. This year it spread to 14 US cities, where last weekend an
estimated 18,000 homeless and needy Americans of all faiths were served.
Charitable giving is one of the "five pillars of Islam," with Muslims
expected to donate 2.5 percent of their income annually. But it's clear
from the enthusiastic turnout of more than 250 volunteers in Roxbury -
from Girl Scout troops to students from MIT and Harvard - that
expressing their faith directly is particularly appealing.