FATHER CLAUDE DU TEIL:
The Legacy of the "Peanut Butter Ministry"

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing in 1978? George Ariyoshi was Governor and Frank Fasi was the Mayor of Honolulu. On a hot summer day that year, one man was so moved by the need of his fellow citizens that he began passing out coffee and peanut butter sandwiches on a street corner in downtown Honolulu. It was the Reverend Claude DuTeils 58th birthday, and he was sowing the seeds of compassion that grew to become IHS.

Fr. Du Teil, the charismatic pastor of St. Christophers Episcopal Church in Kailua recognized a need in the community and stepped forward to offer what he had...time, compassion, a will to listen and to help and on most days, peanut butter sandwiches. Dubbed the Peanut Butter Ministry, the project was an outgrowth of Episcopal Bishop Brownings Commission on Alcoholism, which was convened to find humane solutions for the problem of alcoholism.

With the help of Peter Giberson and Rick Loyd, two volunteer counselors who had gained their counseling skills by having successfully completed the Salvation Armys Addiction Treatment Facilitys rehabilitation program themselves, DuTeil opened a drop-in center on Smith St.

"Our only purpose is to be human and to help"

-- Father Du Teil --

The center was open seven days a week and saw an average of 60 people each day. They offered peanut butter sandwiches three times a day and on Friday and Saturday at 6pm Richard Rubie organized a hot meal. The meals were funded by the Hawaii Council of Churches.

In 1982, IHS incorporated as a private, non-profit agency and was able to succeed with the continued help of donations and volunteers from the faith based community.

Locations Changes

Locations changed fairly frequently back then. IHS even spent a few months operating out of St. Andrews Cathedral Tenney Theater stage area before locating to the intense annoyance of the businesses downtown to 49 S. Beretania St on the Fort Street Mall. When a fire burned IHS out of that location in 1983, Mayor Fasi made the 127 N. Beretania St. (an abandoned bathhouse) available for three years until it was to be torn down. In April 1986, IHS moved to the present location of the Iwilei Mens Shelter at 350 Sumner St., which was built with the help of City and Federal funding expressly for IHS.

"We started in an abandoned building on Smith Street with a jar of grape jelly, a loaf of Love's bread, a jar of Maxwell House coffee and a pot to heat the water in."

-- Father Du Teil of the first day of IHS --

Back in 1987, at the Iwilei location, IHS slept 250 - 300 people per night, men on the first floor and women and children upstairs. In addition, 3600 to 4800 meals were served each week with all food donated by businesses, restaurants, and churches. Forty churches took turns cooking meals. In July 1, 1988, the Dr. Joseph Lucas Medical Clinic at IHS was dedicated to the first doctor that regularly visited IHS until he retired.

Leadership Changes

Leadership changed over the years. On July 1, 1990 on his 69th birthday and the agencys 11th anniversary, Du Teil named the Rev. Richard Rowe, an Episcopal priest from Wahiawa and IHS Managing Director, as his successor. Rowe became Interim Director when Du Teil became ill with Parkinsons and a hospitalization with the shingles virus.

Rowe resigned his position as Interim Executive Director on April 30, 1991. The Rev. Lee Kiefer, formerly the Institutes Executive Assistant, was then appointed as Acting Director replacing Rowe. Kiefer served until 1992, when the Board hired Deborah Morikawa as Executive Director. Lynn Maunakea succeeded her in January 1, 1997 and resigned in December of 2005. Sherry Chong served as Interim Executive Director until June of 2006, when the board approved Connie Mitchell, our current Executive Director.

Second Shelter

Also in 1997, with the help of an operating grant from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, IHS opened a second shelter, a separate one for women and families at 546 Kaaahi St.

IHS Today

Today, IHS sleeps up to 200 individuals at the Iwilei Mens Shelter. Up to 100 single women and as many as 26 families (including up to 60 children) are cared for at the Kaaahi St Shelter. Today, 6,300 7,000 meals are served weekly. Still the largest component of the IHS Meal Program, many of the original churches cook meals for our guests.

"I have a pedigree for this work that I earned the hard way."

-- Father Du Teil referring to his own battles with alcoholism --

Partnerships

In recent years, partnerships with agencies providing their services at the IHS locations have grown. Kalihi-Palama Health Center operates medical clinics through the Health Care for the Homeless Program at both locations. Medical, mental, and dental care, are now available at both shelters. The Veterans Administration is on site regularly to identify and serve veterans and The Salvation Army and Hina Mauka offer substance abuse education and treatment services. The Good Beginnings Alliance provides developmental building block education for the families and the Hawaii Community Action Program's Headstart program for toddlers in the shelter helps prepare the children for school. Both Legal Aid and the Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii provide free legal assistance. IHS is site to regular 12 Step Programs meetings, as well.

Towards the Solution: Supportive Housing

Another major change within the last couple of years is the movement to expand case management teams, who work with the partnering agencies to provide integrated services in helping our guests. Today, because of research that has taken place and models that have been tested, we have a better idea of what will work to best help the various segments of the population that make up the homeless. A more strategic effort is underway using data that we collect and analyze to triage and place our guests. We now know, for example that permanent housing that is enhanced with services is the goal for many of our guests, including the ones who have been homeless for many years.

All this is done with the same love and compassion that Du Teil had for the homeless when he founded IHS. This is both his legacy and our future.

On July 1st, 2008, The Rev. Du Teil would have been 88 years old. Thank you, Fr. Du Teil. Happy Birthday, IHS!