Medical student creates nonprofit organization to help the homeless during pandemic

Photo: Farhan Himmati

Posted: May 17, 2020 / 10:41 AM PDT

Updated: May 17, 2020 / 10:57 AM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – A medical student has taken matters into his own hands to help the homeless community during the coronavirus pandemic.

As classes were moved to online and he was supposed to be in clinical clerkships, Farhan Himmati decided to give back to the community.

Heading into his final year of medical school, Himmati was prepared to gain valuable experience with patient interaction and communication skills.

However, the pandemic led him down the path of creating a medical nonprofit organization to help other medical students and the homeless population across the country.

“Community service has been a passion of mine since my middle school days and is one of the biggest reasons I entered the medical field, with the intention of leaving a positive impact on vulnerable communities through my profession. Himmati Foundation was founded in late March (and is in the process of finalizing its establishment as a nonprofit organization) with the help of my 2 brothers and Mother, Salik, Samee and Saher Himmati respectively. Since its grass roots in San Francisco we have been expanding to Seattle and New York with the help of Hope Alcaraz and Alexander Fauci, in those regions respectively.“

The nonprofit makes homemade cloth masks, and donates dry foods and gloves to the homeless shelters.

Starting in San Francisco, the organization has now reached homeless shelters in New York and Seattle.

More than 1,200 masks have been made and over 5,000 gloves have been donated to date.

The organization is in need of volunteers and donations in order to continue growing.