Tracking the Spread of COVID-19 in the Name of Charity

Awad Shahadat, a junior and a computer science major, collects donations for local food banks through a virus-tracking website he created. Photo provided

There are many websites tracking the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but one Mason Engineering student decided to do more than mark the negative impact—he decided to make a positive impact in his community. Awad Shahadat, a junior and a computer science major, is helping by collecting donations for local food banks through a virus-tracking website he created. “I thought building a tool that people would find useful would encourage them to donate,” he says. “My goal is to raise money for food banks in our area because of the economic fallout from this pandemic. I hope people use this site to stay up-todate on accurate and credible information.”

With the help of his brother, Zobair, BS Information Technology ’15, Shahadat created wheresthecorona.com. The site uses the most accurate and updated information available from Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Shahadat says his goal is to collect at least 5,000 nonperishable food items to donate. Everything he collects is being donated in Virginia to ACTS in Prince William County and SERVE in Woodbridge and Stafford—all emergency assistance organizations. “We’ve collected about 1,400 items so far,” he says, adding that about 60 percent of his donations came from his Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers. Shahadat says he hopes that members of the Mason community will remember to take care of each other and the people most in need during this crisis. “We’re going through difficult times,” he says. “But stay strong.”

—Hannah Harmison

MY GOAL IS TO RAISE MONEY FOR FOOD BANKS IN OUR AREA BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMIC FALLOUT FROM THIS PANDEMIC. I HOPE PEOPLE USE THIS SITE TO STAY UP-TO-DATE ON ACCURATE AND CREDIBLE INFORMATION.

—Awad Shahadat, junior and computer science major