On a recent hot summer’s Thursday afternoon at St. Augustine by-the-sea Catholic Church in Waikīkī, guests had arrived for snacks and a meal, showers, haircuts, prayer, and more, as music and chatter filled the air.
That day, River of Life Mission had supplied its Grace2Go snack bags, along with 50 hot meals, and volunteers who ministered to homeless in the area at one of its weekly hub and service sites.
“The most important thing is building relationships,” said Hub and Ministry Manager Aleni Snell.
Gavin Tsuda, who heads the site and is pastor of One Church, added, “To gain trust, you gotta put stakes in the ground; that’s when the shift in atmosphere happened.”
Tsuda told Aloha State Daily that what started as five volunteers has grown to nearly 30, all from various churches and community organizations. For example, Danica and Craig (no last names given) run the Revive + Refresh shower truck, offering on average more than 50 showers on site per week, while Bluewater Mission church supplies clean clothing and towels. Meanwhile, a volunteer named Gina with Surfing the Nations was cutting hair and The Hawaiʻi H.O.M.E. Project was operating a student-run, mobile health clinic.
“This is our volunteer work, not our full-time job,” said Danica, who attends First Presbyterian Church. “The concept came from a mission trip and evolved from laundry; the showers have been here since January 2020, right before Covid. About a year ago, we partnered with River of Life, and it’s been great to see everyone come together. It’s also been a good working relationship with St. Augustine and Father Lane Akiona. There’s no way we could do it on our own.”
“Each week, I see hundreds of new faces come through,” she noted.
For Roy, who is a volunteer pastor in training, learning tools to take with him to another hub in Kalihi was on his mind. “The regulars here so comfortable,” he said with a smile, adding that part of his job is handing out Bibles, listening and praying with people.
River of Life Mission’s hub model, or mobile homeless ministry, launched four years ago and now has 240 sites across Oʻahu supported by 50 teams that distribute more than 16,000 meals a month, along with a Gospel message of hope.
Blake Spinak is the hub and ministry director. Its Chinatown location serves as offices for staff and headquarters for meal production and resource replenishing, as well as strategy and coordination. On Thursdays, it also serves as a space for staff to reconnect through worship music and Bible study.
Keali‘i Kane Gray joined the organization as executive director in October 2025, and a month later celebrated River of Life Mission’s 40-year anniversary with a recognition by Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
“Over the last nine months, we’ve really tried to, one, just fortify our model, as well as be a little more innovative in how we are able to steward our resources,” she told ASD last month.
She’s also proud that they’ve been able to help nearly 100 people transition off the street toward a home annually.
In the 2026 Point in Time Count, (PITC), a federally mandated census conducted by Partners in Care with more than 300 volunteers on Jan. 26, the report identified 4,539 individuals “experiencing homelessness in [Oʻahu] shelters, streets, beaches, cars, or other places not meant for human habitation.”
“Partners in Care is doing amazing work …but there’s only so much you can do in one night. It’s really hard to truly get a total number. It’s a good place to start. There’s a lot more people living in crisis,” Kane Gray said. “The demographics with regards to the number of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders that are represented in the homeless population per capita is heartbreaking.”
Spinak noted that the newly established Road to Redemption program is what happens next after the individual responds to the journey, which includes a continuum of health care that leads to treatment, employment, shelter and stability.
“It’s case by case, so with some people, you have quick transitions and others are more of a process,” he said. “The crisis is real and people are living in darkness, right? So, the goal is to be light bearers, love people and … help others in community to take ownership of its own neighbors in crisis.”
“What’s next for us is to get in front of crisis with curriculum and to train the next generation,” he added.
Kane Gray said that the organization’s Road to Redemption program just made a year old and could use support for its transition and treatment programs, in addition to other resources for programming.
“Additional funding could make all the difference. We want to love our guests back to new life and give them the tools to sustain that new life,” she said.
River of Life Mission is funded by individual and private donors, as well as in-kind donations.
To learn more or donate, click here. Follow River of Life Mission on Instagram!
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
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