How transportation grants turn service into sustained partnership

When MD candidate Krish Shah first studied homelessness in MED 219: Navigating the Housing Crisis, he felt a disconnect between what he was learning in the classroom and how that might relate to real life.

"While the academic framework was crucial, I felt a growing disconnect between discussing policy in a lecture hall and the visceral reality of our unhoused neighbors," he said.

That gap between campus and community motivated Krish to engage with the Stanford Medicine Outreach Program (SMOP), a student service organization affiliated with the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program.

For SMOP, there was a logistical challenge. Their clients live in creek beds, underpasses, and safe-parking sites across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties that are hard to get to on public transit. A Haas Center transportation grant became what Krish called "the engine for this experience," enabling weekly trips to bring student volunteers and essential supplies to hard-to-reach encampment sites.

What Krish learned on the ground changed how he thinks about effective healthcare. During one pop-up clinic, he was eager to discuss blood pressure management with a client. But the person was more concerned about the infection risk with a wound because they had no clean socks. Krish reflected, "I realized that my medical agenda was secondary to their immediate survival needs. We cannot simply decide what the community needs—we must ask."

Working with partners including Peninsula Healthcare Connection and WeHOPE, the team began holding "packing parties" on campus, assembling kits based on direct feedback: socks, flashlights, hygiene products, Naloxone, safer sex supplies, diabetes management materials. But perhaps most importantly, transportation funding didn't just pay for gas—it paid for reliability. "By showing up every week, rain or shine, we proved we were not fair-weather tourists in their lives," Krish said.

Three years ago, senior Katelyn Santa Maria also identified an obstacle: students interested in animal-centered service faced logistical barriers to participating. She founded the Animal Service Project (ASP) specifically to address the transportation challenge that kept students from maintaining a regular commitment to community service.

With Haas Center transportation support, ASP now serves multiple partners, including Into the Light Horse Sanctuary—a small equine sanctuary run largely by its founder and a handful of volunteers. Located far from campus and inaccessible without a car, the sanctuary had struggled to find consistent help. Transportation funding transformed ASP into what Katelyn calls "a stable, dependable source of support for an organization that otherwise has very few."

ASP volunteers have also facilitated visits for neurodiverse children at Jasper Ridge Farm through partnerships with the San Francisco Autism Society and the Children's Health Council, creating what parents describe as a "judgment-free space" for their children to engage with animals.

ASP volunteers average more than 80 hours of service per quarter. But Katelyn has learned to measure impact differently. "ASP's impact is defined not just by hours served, but by trust, continuity, and access," she said.

Getting started: Resources for students doing service

The Haas Center offers comprehensive support to help students turn good ideas into sustained impact:

Transportation grants cover the practical costs of getting to your service sites: public transit fares, personal mileage reimbursement, Uber rides through a Haas Center account, and Zipcar rentals. Apply each quarter for yourself or for a student organization.

Beyond transportation, the Haas Center provides meeting space for planning sessions, storage space for supplies, small co-sponsorship grants for special events, one-on-one advising to strengthen community partnerships, and promotional support to recruit volunteers and share your impact.

Spring quarter transportation grant applications are now open. Learn more and apply, or contact Geoff Baker for more information and advice.

Krish Shah would like to acknowledge his SMOP colleagues: "None of our outreach efforts would have been possible without the exceptional leadership and dedication of Saumya Sao, Meg Quint, Mike Mayer, Nitin Seshadri, Ethan Manafi, Laura Tong, Riya Anand, Yaneth Perez-Rodriguez, and Brianna Brasko. What began as a vision co-founded by Meg and Mike has grown far beyond its original scope and evolved into something truly impactful through the passion, initiative, and commitment of the leadership team."