BALTIMORE – Muslim youth took some time of their studies Saturday afternoon to volunteer and hand out food to the homeless and needy during convention held during the weekend in Baltimore.

“I think it’s important, to go out from your everyday work, school, and take the time to give back to your community,” 25-year-old Kaltuma Sharif told Baltimore Sun.

“Yesterday, we went to a talk that spoke about character and being the best Muslim we can be,” Sharif said.

Sharif is one of around 60 volunteers who gathered on Saturday afternoon to hand out food to the homeless and needy during the convention held this weekend and sponsored by the Islamic Circle of North America and the Muslim American Society.

Running through Sunday at the convention center, the annual gathering brought together some 20,000 Muslims for talks, workshops and other discussions aimed at sharing their faith and creating a forum to air their concerns.

This marks the fourth year the convention has been held in Baltimore, and the fourth time ICNA Relief has sponsored this type of outreach in the city.

Volunteers handed out about 350 hot meals and 350 hygiene kits to people who needed them, with about half to St. Vincent de Paul, while the rest headed for the My Sister’s Place women’s center on Franklin Street.

“This is a big part of what we do,” said Ibrahim Abusway, community development coordinator for the Maryland branch of ICNA Relief, a Muslim American charity.

“And it’s part of the way of fulfilling our practice as Muslims and giving back to the community.”

All volunteers put on bright yellow vests emblazoned with the ICNA Relief logo and the phrase “Muslims for Humanity.”

“We’re just using our time as energetic youth,” 30-year-old Naila Al Hasan, a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, said with a smile.

“We’ve been blessed to have been given a lot of opportunities, and we’re here to give back.”