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Nonprofits looking out for homeless, elderly

Hale Kau Kau still serving; caseworkers checking up on some of their high-risk clients

As bags of rice and cans of soup fly off the shelves, at least one nonprofit is making sure that elderly and less fortunate people still have access to food during the coronavirus pandemic. Hale Kau Kau at St. Theresa Church in Kihei is continuing to cook free daily meals for homeless people and deliver food to the homebound, though with greater precautions and less personal contact. "If you were to stand here at the window and see the people that walk up here every day . . . you would want to do everything in your power to feed them," Karen Powers, coordinator for family faith formation and the youth ministry at St. Theresa, said of the decision to continue operating. With Gov. David Ige calling for restaurants to switch to takeout, pickup or delivery only, Hale Kau Kau can still carry out its mission. However, workers do what they can to minimize risk -- limiting the number of people in the kitchen at one time; taking the usual precautions like cleaning surfaces, wearing gloves and washing their hands; and staying home if they're sick. Meals, as always, are handed out through a window, and those who stop by can sit at separate tables a safe distance apart. Every day, an average of 65 people come to the church for a free hot meal. The program also delivers meals to 71 at home. During home deliveries, the meals don't go directly from volunteer to resident by hand. "Very often it's mostly into a cooler or some kind of container where they retrieve it from," Powers explained. "We're trying to get everybody on board with that at this time." Drivers are volunteers and have the option of not delivering food if they choose. Powers said some older volunteers have elected to be taken off the schedule. Hale Kau Kau is currently delivering to someone in quarantine who has not tested positive for the virus. Powers said there's no contact with the person other than volunteers announcing that "Hey, it's Hale Kau Kau!" while dropping off the food outside. When asked if Hale Kau Kau would deliver to people in quarantine, she said they would decide on a case-by-case basis, because they only have so many drivers. "We only serve South Kihei, and once we reach a certain capacity for our routes, we just can't," she said. The nonprofit gets its meals from the Maui Food Bank once a week. However, the food bank is currently putting out an "urgent" call to fill its shelves, and grocery stores already depleted by customers have limited donations to give to the food bank. Fortunately, there was enough on Wednesday to help furnish Hale Kau Kau. Powers said they also get donations from places like Whole Foods, the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa and Kihei Safeway. And, Hale Kau Kau recently received donations of food from the Maui Arts & Cultural Center and the King Kamehameha Golf Club after events were canceled. Powers added that Hale Kau Kau is looking for drivers for meal deliveries seven days a week; 4 to 5:30 p.m. is typically the time period it takes to do a route. Two routes -- Monday and Wednesday -- have recently lost drivers, and they also need drivers for Saturdays throughout the year. A volunteer application can be found at halekaukau.org under the "donate" tab. Meanwhile, other nonprofits on Maui are doing outreach to the community's underserved -- but they're hampered by a lack of supplies. Maude Cumming, executive director of the Family Life Center in Kahului, said that the organization was trying to put together information cards for homeless people about how to practice good hygiene and prevent the spread of the virus. However, they can't even buy hand sanitizers to provide to people. "If we don't even have access to those supplies, it doesn't feel right to give someone information about what to do when they won't have access to it," she said. However, Cumming said the Family Life Center's usual outreach hasn't stopped. They're still checking on clients and keeping an eye on those who might be most at risk. "Those who are elderly or those who we know have some health issues, respiratory illnesses, the outreach workers know who they are," Cumming said. "So they've been instructed to let us know, let the team leader know, so that if they need assistance, we can help." While people living on the street may not have access to good hygiene, Cumming said the risk of them getting the virus is reduced because they don't have as much social interaction with the rest of the community. Ideally, Cumming would like to equip outreach teams with coolers of water and soap so they can at least offer handwashing to the homeless. However, they only have soap bars and can't get access to liquid soap either in stores or online. "We have someplace they can shower, but we have to make appointments for those because we're only letting in one person at a time, and we don't want people lining up," Cumming said. "They have to be working with a case manager, and then they can schedule a time for them." Cumming said the shelter is trying to take precautions, such as placing beds farther apart and requiring anyone who stops by to call from the reception area first. If someone comes in from the Mainland, they check their travel history. She said they don't have an isolation space right now for a potentially sick client, but that they are looking at options. It may have to be a space not on site. Monique Yamashita, executive director at Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers, said that the Wailuku and Lahaina facilities will not be able to house someone who has tested positive for the virus, as it's too risky to the rest of the residents. However, she said space is available for those who may show symptoms and need to be quarantined while they await testing. The women's dorms, with about 10 beds, will be used for this purpose; the women residents have been moved to a different area. Ka Hale A Ke Ola also is limiting the visitors who come on property, canceling Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and reducing the number of kitchen volunteers. With cleaning supplies hard to get, Yamashita said they're using a Clorox-water dilution to spray down the bathrooms while also doubling up cleaning efforts in men's and women's dorms. She added that they wanted to get additional anti-bacterial lotion stations, but they're not available. "We're just hunkering down and minimizing traffic," Yamashita said. "If any of our families are in quarantine or isolated, we would offer to bring them food boxes if they can't leave their unit." Yamashita added that Ka Hale A Ke Ola has a rental assistance program that could help people who may be losing their jobs and need some extra funds. She said the county may change some requirements of the program so more people are eligible. For more information, visit khako.org or call the program specialist at 446-8129. * Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com. _______________ COVID-19 AT A GLANCE Latest developments: • DOH reports 11 new cases in Hawaii, including 10 on Oahu and one on Kauai. One of the new cases is a child. • 37 confirmed or presumptive positive cases in Hawaii: 28 on Oahu, five on Maui, three on Kauai and one on Hawaii island. • The state Department of Transportation continues to develop a plan requiring arriving passengers to quarantine for 14 days. • Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino, Honolulu City Council and other politicians ask Gov. David Ige to take swift and stricter action on airline visitors continuing to arrive in the islands. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel recommendations for travel: • Avoid all nonessential travel to China, Iran, most European countries along with the United Kingdom and Ireland. Entry of foreign nationals from these locations has been suspended. • Avoid all nonessential travel to South Korea and Malaysia. • Practice enhanced precautions during any travel worldwide. • Older adults and people of any age with serious chronic medical conditions should consider postponing nonessential travel. • Defer cruise travel worldwide. Prevention includes: • Getting a flu shot. • Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after nose-blowing, coughing or sneezing. • If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. • Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. • Avoid contact with people who are sick; stay home if sick. For more information: • Call 211 or text (877) 275-6569 for general questions about coronavirus. • Hawaii Health Department: hawaiicovid19.com. • CDC: Coronavirus.gov.

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