WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of Muslims from the metro-Philadelphia area will help distribute food and clothing and provide health screenings to 500 local homeless people this Sunday as part of Islamic Relief USA's (IR USA) annual Day of Dignity campaign in Ramadan.

In its eighth year, Day of Dignity is a nationwide campaign that recruits more than 2,000 volunteers who in turn, serve around 20,000 homeless and those in need in 22 cities throughout America. Philadelphia's event, which is in its fourth year, will take place at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia on August 22(nd) from 12:00PM to 4:00PM.

"Day of Dignity is an event that should take place 365 days out of the year, ever year," said Saleem Khaled, manager of domestics programs at IR USA. "But until we can reach that capacity, we will take whatever opportunity we can get -- especially in the holy month of Ramadan - to encourage others to give of their time, of their wealth, and of their compassion to those in need."

WHAT: Day of Dignity in Philadelphia

WHEN: Sunday, August 22, 2010 from 12:00PM to 4:00PM

WHERE: First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street; Philadelphia, PA 19103

NOTE: For details on other upcoming Day of Dignity events in the region, please visit: www.dayofdignity.com. To learn how to get involved, please contact Nazia Hossain, IR USA volunteer coordinator, at 703-370-7202, Nazia@IslamicReliefUSA.org or Monika Nagpal, Day of Dignity Philadelphia event coordinator, at 267-265-0286, or monikangp@gmail.com.

Co- sponsors of this event include: CAIR Philadelphia; First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia; Fixing Philly; Philadelphia Jews for a Just Peace; and the United Muslim Foundation.

Inspired by Islam's values on charitable giving and community development, IR USA is a relief organization dedicated to alleviating poverty through disaster relief and development projects in the U.S. and globally for communities regardless of color, race, religion, or creed.

For the seventh consecutive year, Islamic Relief USA has been awarded four stars by Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator in the country. This prestigious award puts Islamic Relief among the top 2.25 percent of charities in the nation. To learn more, visit: www.islamicreliefusa.org.

    MEDIA CONTACT: Rabiah Ahmed at 202-439-1441, rahmed@islamicreliefusa.org

SOURCE Islamic Relief USA