Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry

By Lara Hughes

Helping people is a common theme that both boiler room that blew up. It was below deck and it was very John and Theresa Kaiwi have enjoyed throughout their lives. hot. We had to pull the guy out and medevac him...It was so Theresa and John run Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry, in Hilo. rewarding; I was so happy that the Lord pushed me toward John graduated from Kamehameha Schools and University that heart that I already had instead of taking lives.” of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He is a Navy combat veteran who now Just like John, Theresa has always had a passion for serves as the neighbor island area manager for a Hawai‘i- helping others. She and her four siblings were raised by her based employment agency. Theresa is from San Antonio, grandmother in San Antonio. “I remember as a child, she Texas, and ran a number of different businesses before retiring converted our garage into this area where she had boxes and and moving to Hawai‘i in 2015. They met in Kona in 2016, boxes of clothing labeled for all different sizes. She would have and moved to Hilo this key around in 2018. Theresa her neck for when glows, “When we homeless people met, we knew would come to immediately that the house. My we were meant to grandmother would spend the rest of sit them down on our lives together!” the front porch The couple and go in and get teamed up for the them clothes, and first time in May go to the kitchen 2018 to volunteer and make them when the lava food, and she eruption hit Leilani would give them Estates. In 2019, whatever little bit still wanting to help of change she had feed those in need, Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry founders John and Theresa Kaiwi. photo courtesy of Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry in her pocket. That they started Hawaii is where I saw the Brown Bag Ministry, first delivering lunches to 20 people. Today giving heart.” Theresa recalls her oldest brother telling their they help distribute more than 350 meals per week, and their grandmother his concerns that the people she was helping corporate partners include The Salvation Army, IHOP, The Food were not stable and his worry that one of them might harm Basket, and Southwest Airlines. her. “My grandma looked at him with that confident face that Having Heart door and I don’t answer it. I cannot live with myself knowing John used to take the bus to school and he would have that it could be our Lord and I have turned him away. If it is to walk through Fort Street Mall in Honolulu on the way. He my time to go, it is my time to go.’” Theresa says, “That is the remembers keeping change in his pocket after buying 25-cent way I live my life—you never know who you are going to help coffees. He would give the extra money to the people on the and no one is above anyone.” street. At the time, John also worked in the cathedral parish, Theresa went on to become a successful business owner. answering phones in the evening for the chancery. They would “I ran all sorts of businesses, from full-service luxury spas give out peanut butter sandwiches to the homeless who would to telecommunication companies, and eventually worked for come in. “I would always give them two, or three, or four, Nationwide Insurance. I was working anywhere from 12 to and I would always get in trouble with the pastor,” he says, 16-hour days, and I said, ‘That’s enough’. I decided to retire laughing. “Growing up, I always had that heart—I can’t see and move to Hawai‘i.” When asked what drew her to Hawai‘i, people go hungry.” Theresa says, “I just woke up one morning and decided I Later, John joined the Navy and served as a combat wanted to live in Hawai‘i.” She moved to Hilo, sight unseen, in search and rescue operator attached to a helicopter combat 2015. squadron in Kuwait during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. she always had and she said, ‘What if it is God knocking at the He reflects, “There were a lot of different missions that The 2018 Lava Flow in Puna we were on, whether it be a medevac, or rescuing a sailor John and Theresa started volunteering together with Puna from an explosion on a ship, to rescuing Navy SEALs that Relief after the volcanic eruption in Leilani Estates forced are literally running for their lives at an extraction point, or people to abandon their homes in May 2018. Their church rescuing civilians on the water.” John does not recall how many asked people if they could help fill volunteer shifts to serve people he helped rescue, but he says, “It was a lot.” He still breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The hardest shift to fill was remembers the feeling he had after his first rescue mission: the 3am breakfast shift every Thursday. John recalls, “We “We were aboard the USS Detroit and we were called out to volunteered every Thursday at 3am from May all the way a United States Navy frigate where there was a sailor in a until October.” They would prepare the food—scrambled eggs,

Helping Hearts, Serving Our Community

sausage, rice, quiche, and fresh fruit. They would do all the made them ourselves,” Theresa says excitedly, “We went and dishes, load everything into a van, drive it over, and set it up. bought bread, peanut butter, jelly, little snacks, and juice When they started serving, Theresa says there were about pouches.” This was done with their own funds and coordinated 300 people that came every morning, and when they ended in with The Salvation Army to distribute the lunches from their October, there were about 17 people who were still displaced. facilities. They handed out the bag lunches and The Salvation There were a lot of volunteers when they started in May; Army invited them to come back the following week. John and Theresa were the last two Their joy was infectious and after volunteers serving food. sharing her experience at hula the following Monday, a few women came The Birth of Hawaii Brown Bag up to Theresa to ask how they could Ministry help, “Five or six of my hula sisters Helping people during the 2018 asked, ‘What do you need?’ and I eruption inspired the couple, and in said, ‘Okay, each loaf of bread feeds January 2019 John said to Theresa, “I 10 people. So, you bring two loaves, just feel like we aren’t doing enough.” you bring two loaves, you bring a jar In the early morning on March 25, of peanut butter, and you bring a jar John had been to downtown Hilo. He of jelly….The next Friday we fed 40 went back home and woke Theresa up, people.’” “You know, downtown is tent city in Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry was the middle of the night? These people born. Soon, the hula sisters brought are hungry,” to which Theresa replied, their husbands and it wound up being “Okay, what do you want to do?” Just a few of the more than 1,300 hand-sewn masks that Theresa has 17 people contributing every Friday On March 29 they served 20 brown donated to anyone who wants via the Brown Bag Ministry’s website. morning. They now serve up to 200 bag lunches to the homeless. “We photo courtesy of Theresa Kaiwi bag lunches every Friday, and so far,

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Some of the Brown Bag Ministy crew, Don and Debbie Loepoldo, enjoy some down-time with Theresa, John, and Theresa’s son. photo by Lara Hughes

the only Friday they have missed as a group was when news of the coronavirus broke out in Hawai‘i.

Helping During Coronavirus

After they skipped that one Friday, John and Theresa renewed their dedication to provide food for Hilo’s homeless. With the lockdown causing fewer people to be available for charity, and closed restaurants having no leftovers to give away, meeting the needs of the homeless has become more challenging than ever. In response, the Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry expanded their services and now provides food to the homeless and others in need twice a day on Tuesdays and Fridays, and in the evening on Saturdays. Theresa also began sewing face masks in April, which they give away for free. The couple were featured on the KHON2 news, which got the attention of the Hilo IHOP staff. After seeing what Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry was doing, the manager contacted them to get involved. IHOP staff began making 20 plates to donate, and now provides 50 plates during the Tuesday and Friday offerings provided by Brown Bag Ministry and The Salvation Army. “What I noticed,” says John, “is that when we started this it was just the homeless…now we have white-collar and bluecollar people that are unemployed. I see people like you and me standing in line, waiting for meals—children, as well. They just lost their jobs—they ran out of resources.” Their serving hearts did not stop there. John also jumps on his bike every other day to deliver Food Basket supplies and

The amazing IHOP staff who help feed those in need each Friday: Isaaca Hanson, Darlene Perez, Caroline Vallin, and Janet Alaoan. photo by Lara Hughes

The Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry volunteers. Standing: Carlene Wolf, Brenda Kenui, Joyce Kepoÿo, Dale Pregil, Mia Abreu, Pamela Mendoza Lau, Kami La Canfora, Greg La Canfora, and Debbie Leopoldo. Sitting: Bill Kepoÿo, John Pregil, John Kaiwi, and Don Leopoldo. photo courtesy of Theresa Kaiwi

snack packs that Southwest Airlines donated to The Salvation Army. “Total round trip from our house,” John says, “is about 20 miles.” He also takes face masks that Theresa sews and hands those out as well. Their masks are available for free on the Hawaii Brown Bag Ministry’s website for anyone who needs them. To date, Theresa has made and donated more than 1,300 masks.

At the End of the Day

Theresa is a firm believer that the more we help, the more we get. She reflects, “We are enthusiastic about making a change in our community and we know that change starts with us. If we don’t do it, nobody else is going to do it.” ■

For more information: hawaii-brown-bag-ministry.business.site/

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