Kaʻū Kōkua: St. Jude’s Cares for its Community

By Drew Foster

St. Jude’s is a small church with a big heart.

My wife and I have volunteered at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Ocean View for the better part of eight years. We provide free haircuts every two months. We are not churchgoers, we are not particularly religious, but we are welcome. As are the scores of people partaking in the many services provided by the church on Paradise Circle across from Kahuku Park.

Need a hot shower or a free bite to eat? St. Jude’s offers both every Wednesday and Saturday. Need clothes, small appliances or baby items? Find them at St. Jude’s. Wi-Fi? St. Jude’s has it. How about medical care or fresh produce? St. Jude’s.

A partnership with Hawaiʻi Island Community Health has placed a permanent on-site medical van at the church since 2023. Healthcare professionals offer services Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. And the Food Basket distributes boxes of produce, eggs and frozen proteins weekly.

The list of offerings continues to grow. In June, St. Jude’s hosted Tropic Care to provide no-cost health, vision and dental screenings. They’ve also initiated a program to help people sign up for SNAP food benefits.

Steve Stigall, a contractor at St. Jude’s, said the church’s mission is rooted in the gospel of Matthew 25.

“It helps us remember that we’re Christian,” Stigall said of the church’s outreach. “We’re supposed to follow the message of Christ – feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, visit the prisoner. We can’t necessarily house the homeless, but we can connect them to services to get them off the street. We may not know you personally, but we know you in spirit.”

The church is mostly run by dedicated volunteers. One of whom is Ocean View resident Cordelia Burt, who’s volunteered at St. Jude’s since 1983. Burt, 87, has cooked meals, prepared sack lunches and acted as Bishop’s warden and junior warden, among other duties. Her late husband, Richard, was the church’s treasurer and maintenance man.

“I’ll keep showing up and volunteering as long as I can,” Burt said. “As long as my body allows me to.”

Burt is a fixture at the church’s free shower and meal program, which started in 2013.

Back then, Stigall said St. Jude’s provided eight to 10 free showers each week. Now they average about a hundred during the expanded twice-a-week service. Volunteers hand out 30 to 40 bag lunches on Wednesdays and supply over a hundred hot meals each Saturday.

Everyone is welcome, regardless of income, housing status, religion or any other qualifier.

Holidays are a particularly busy time at the church. Last Thanksgiving, St. Jude’s served 260 meals, and the church’s Keiki Christmas event offers free stuffed stockings, photos with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, books, cookies and POG.

“It’s an undertaking, but it’s a labor of love,” Stigall said.

And the love tends to flow both ways.

Volunteering at St. Jude’s has introduced my family to neighbors we’d otherwise never have met. The appreciation and kindness we experience simply fills our cup. It’s worth more than any dollar amount we could charge. And we’re always reminded just how precarious good fortune can be. The folks seeking services at St. Jude’s are parents, former teachers, military veterans, retirees, ex-professionals. Just folks needing a helping hand.

“The least, the lost, the less – that could be me at any moment,” Stigall said.

If you wish to donate to St. Jude’s or provide additional services, visit stjudeshawaii.org and use the contact form.

By Kaʻū News Staff

As Hawaiʻi Island grappled with the aftermath of Hurricane Lala, which swept past the southern point of the islands in mid-August and dumped historic amounts of rain, local infrastructure sustained heavy blows. State and county damage assessments finalized by August 23 showed that rural districts like Kaʻū suffered severe wind, flood, and bridge damage, leaving communities isolated by debris and facing extended power outages.

To help address urgent health needs across the flood-impacted region, the Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Van expanded its regular schedule at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church. Beginning Aug. 24, the mobile health unit opened three days a week — on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. — providing accessible medical care and health support for community members navigating post-storm recovery.