A father brings his family together through volunteerism

For Kaulana DeLeon and his wife, Brittany, volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul has become more than an act of service. It’s a new family tradition rooted in compassion, connection and community. Beyond volunteering their time, the couple has used their Hawaiian restaurant as another way to give back, bringing fresh homecooked meals as moments of connection to SVdP residents.

The couple first became involved with SVdP after being introduced through their friends. After a tour of the Washington Street Shelter (WSS) and learning more about the residents and services provided, Kaulana and Brittany immediately felt a connection to the mission and the people they met.

The couple decided to create a special opportunity to bring people together when they hosted their wedding reception at the Washington Street Shelter, inviting their 60 wedding guests to WSS to celebrate their love by volunteering and creating a meaningful experience for residents. 

“For a moment, we were able to get them away from even thinking that they were living down at a shelter,” Kaulana said. “Through our serving, through Hawaiian food, through shaved ice and through everything that we were doing, it took them to a whole other place. That meant the world to us because that's what we want everybody to feel from our ministry — that they are valued, they are seen, and they are loved.”

Kaulana has continued bringing pieces of his Hawaiian culture and hospitality to SVdP residents. Through his Hawaiian restaurant, he has donated homemade meals and Hawaiian shaved ice to SVdP shelters on multiple occasions, creating moments of relief and dignity for residents.

For the past year and a half, Kaulana and his wife have become frequent volunteers at SVdP’s kitchens and shelters. Inspired by the connections they’ve made and the experiences they’ve shared while serving, Kaulana wanted to bring that same spirit of giving back to the people closest to him. 

“We've seen the impact that it's had on our lives, as far as serving others, and we just want our kids and as many family members connected to us to be able to experience that,” Kaulana said. 

He especially wanted to instill a value of service with his children and has made sure to create opportunities for them to understand the meaning of community.

“We want our kids to be able to see and have a servant heart.... It never gets old to see them down over there [at SVdP’s kitchen], enjoying it and having fun with it,” Kaulana said. “That's something that we try to do — make it fun, so it's not like a task or something that they get forced or roped into. We want them to be willing participants.”

For the DeLeon children, volunteering alongside their parents was an opportunity to see the work they had heard about come to life. Before volunteering, Kaulana’s children were bubbling with excitement to take part in their family’s mission. While they were familiar with their parents’ commitment to cooking and serving others, seeing the scale of SVdP’s kitchen operations gave them a new perspective on the impact their family could make.

Volunteering at SVdP has become a way to teach his children the importance of giving back while strengthening their family bond and creating a lasting legacy of service within his home.

“The interactions that we have with the residents, and staff is very encouraging and refilling,” Kaulana said. “We actually feel like we get more out of serving than what we actually give out.”

The DeLeon family also loves the welcoming environment they found in the SVdP’s staff, volunteers, and residents. Through every meal served and every connection made, the DeLeon family continues to show their children that the greatest gift they can share with others is their time, service, and love.

“The thing that keeps us coming back is truly the love for people that we've experienced,” Kaulana said. “The staff that is doing it day in and day out. It's easy to see anytime we interact with SVdP’s team members. When we go there, we can truly feel the love coming from the top all the way to the bottom.”