Hundreds of Seattle's homeless were aided for "Humanitarian Day" at The Millionair Club downtown Saturday.

The charity offered their large space to Islamic Relief USA, a non-profit humanitarian organization formed in California in 1993 and part of Islamic Relief worldwide, dedicated to relieving starvation and suffering among the world's poorest. Together they serviced more than 500 homeless people in Seattle.

"It felt so good to give back to the needy and to put smiles on people's faces," said Murtaza Junejo, a volunteer for the Islamic Relief USA. "The Millionair Club Charity was nice enough to allow us to borrow their facility for free in order to accommodate more homeless."

Humanitarian Day coincided with the Islamic month of Ramadan, a holy period when Muslims fast and are encouraged to give back to the poor.

Services and essentials that were given to the poor included warm meals, packages containing hygiene and emergency kits, blankets, clothes, rain ponchos, bath towels and toys and school supplies for children. HIV/AIDS screenings, flu vaccinations, TB tests and wound dressings were also given to the homeless.

There were about 30 volunteers helping out Saturday. Some were from Seattle's local Muslim community, others from the Islamic Relief. A large portion of the volunteers came from the Muslim Student Association at the UW.

"The Muslim Student Association has always been a huge help with all our fundraisers and charity works," Junejo said.

Another organization, Shifa Clinic, also participated.

"Humanitarian Day was our biggest event that we've done," said Tipu Khan, senior med student at UW and Shifa Clinic coordinator. "We've been doing paperwork for the last two or three years, but this is when Shifa Clinic finally began."

Organized and run by volunteered UW med students, the clinic offered their care to many homeless.

Seattle wasn't the only participant in this national day of giving. With more than 20 cities invloved, including Chicago, New York, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Detroit, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Houston and Washington D.C., Islamic Relief USA estimated that more than 25,000 homeless were cared for and treated nationwide with a variety of amenities.

[Reach reporter Ben Schock at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]