Mobile ministry takes its support directly to the unsheltered

Church volunteers on Maui who have operated a van since 2014 to distribute food and supplies to the homeless have seen the number of unsheltered people more than double since the catastrophic wildfires.

“The Aug. 8 fires happened and it exploded,” said Cathy Paxton-­Haines, president of A Cup of Cold Water, a nonprofit operated by the island’s four Episcopal churches. Most of the needy live in Kahului and Wailuku, which is in Central Maui.

She said the van made only one run a week to Central Maui during the COVID-19 pandemic and served 60 to 80 people. No, the unsheltered average over 120. After the fires the van added two more districts, Lahaina and Kihei, on separate days, and recently began venturing to Paia on the north shore with a physician once a month.

Volunteers come mainly from the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Wailuku, Church of the Holy Innocents in Lahaina, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Kula and Trinity By-the-Sea in Kihei. But churches from other denominations, businesses and people in the community also contribute to the ministry. Donations can be dropped off at all sites except Holy Innocents, which suffered extensive damage in the disaster.

There are currently about 35 volunteers, about half the number before the pandemic, as many were of retirement age and at risk of catching COVID-19, said Paxton-Haines, a member of St. John’s.

Sources for donations also have dwindled in the wake of the fire — for example, one condominium that gave away used sheets and towels burned down, and other hotels lost business, she said. The group has had to purchase personal hygiene items, clothing and other basic necessities from Costco and on Amazon with cash donations. Desperately needed are bedding and towels, which are expensive.

Chuck Spence, a board member who has served A Cup of Cold Water since it was founded, said Episcopal Relief &Development, a nonprofit foundation, has provided a $70,000 annual grant, used for purchasing supplies and paying the salary of a part-time outreach assistant/administrator. Until March the organization had no paid staff.

Instead of referring to their clients as “homeless,” which carries a derogatory implication, the ministry prefers the term “unsheltered” because “Maui is their home,” he said.

“By calling them unsheltered, it embraces them and says they’re welcome, but we understand they just don’t have a roof above their head,” said Spence, a retired investment banker and member of Trinity By-the-Sea.

The mobile ministry seems to be working well because it doesn’t encourage the unsheltered to congregate in one spot near a supply source like a soup kitchen, which usually leads to adverse impacts on the community, he said.

“It’s a fresh idea that shows we have compassion for people and respect and dignity for them, wherever they might be,” Spence said.

Carol Allen, a volunteer since 2015, is not a member of any church, but said, “I feel like it’s kind of my church, going out and ministering to people in need of assistance,” she said. “When I can’t go I miss it.”

The van visits help clients feel that other people see and care about them instead of ignoring them, and that in turn encourages them to be more productive and perhaps improve their circumstances, Allen said.

“I do feel closer to God when I do this. It’s very, very rewarding to see people get better, and some people even move on to shelters. You’re just making their lives a bit easier. … Everybody is always so thankful.”

“It’s very important for me to do this. And I also feel like financially, I need to contribute, too. I have it in my trust,” she said. Allen also donated a large lump sum after the fire.

About 15 other volunteers have served the organization for as long as Allen, 75, has, and many are her age or older. Like her, many are dealing with physical challenges.

The ministry hopes younger volunteers will join their group and drive the van so they can serve more people more often, Allen said. Only a driver and two volunteers can fit in the van alongside supplies.

In the course of a few hours, the van makes about 10 stops on a weekly run to each district.

“We go searching” at the beach and mostly around parks or on side streets, said Allen. In Kihei there’s a jungle area where clients reside; they come out to meet the van when they hear its horn.

Allen volunteers for the Kihei run because it’s close to her home. Some of the same people on her route have lived there since she started volunteering nine years ago. When some do get jobs or find shelter, they’ll come back and ask for clothes to wear to work.

Most of the unsheltered are male, many of them veterans finding it difficult to adjust to life outside the military; some have addictions or have lost their homes and jobs. Allen is glad she’s seeing fewer families and women on their own because she finds their vulnerability particularly heartbreaking.

“It is exhausting. When you’re finished, you’re pretty worn out emotionally and physically. You want to make sure you’re listening to what their needs are mentally and physically.”

She acknowledged the work can be depressing, “but I know it’s so helpful, and they’re so appreciative and it’s so important.”