Once-homeless singer aids the charity that helped her

By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor

KAHULUI, Maui — When singer Eve Moffatt performed at some of Maui's ritziest resorts, dressed to the nines, few could have imagined she was homeless.

Singer Eve Moffatt is the Salvation Army's ambassador this holiday season. "I know one person can make a difference," she said. Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser

Moffatt said she walked out of an abusive relationship about three years ago, throwing her life in turmoil. "I made up my mind to leave at all costs, if necessary, and the cost was homelessness," she said.

She found help at the Salvation Army in Lahaina, got back on her feet again, and is returning the favor by acting as the charity's ambassador during the holiday season. Moffatt is making a series of appearances before community groups, churches and other organizations to talk about the Salvation Army's red kettle program and the importance of keeping hope, no matter how desperate the situation.

"The message is that the Salvation Army is always there," she said.

During last year's holiday season, the Salvation Army touched the lives of 11,000 adults and children in Maui County by providing meals, toys and other assistance, according to Capt. Christi Taylor. The nonprofit organization collects donations through its familiar red kettles and its Angel Trees, and works with the Lokahi and Toys for Tots programs to help needy families.

Taylor and husband, Capt. Thomas Taylor, are the Salvation Army's coordinators for Maui County.

She said donations are down this year and she's not sure why. Taylor does not think it has anything to do with complaints nationwide about kettle bell-ringing, which some view as a nuisance.

Moloka'i agencies alone are asking for 2,500 toys, when countywide only 3,500 toys are expected to be donated. "They don't have anybody else to get them from," Taylor said. "They don't have any toy stores over there."

Taylor met Moffatt through the Lahaina operation, and says the singer has charisma to spare.

"She can sing like a bird," she said. When Moffatt appeared at the Lokahi kickoff event, "she wowed them."

But Moffatt is also about hands-on volunteer work. Taylor said she has interned on the Care-A-Van mobile healthcare unit and served meals and cleaned up at the Lahaina Salvation Army site. Moffatt organized a Christmas jazz concert for the Salvation Army a couple of years ago, and also is a presence at the William Booth Safe Haven drop-in center, where homeless people can take a shower, shave, do their laundry, and get other help.

Many of the people who visit the drop-in center are working homeless, an unacknowledged segment of the population, Moffatt said.

"When I was performing, people didn't know I was homeless," she said. "There is a large population of working homeless on Maui. In fact, you could be sitting next to someone."

She said that after one of her talks to a community group, a restaurant manager told her that while he was doing a beach cleanup project, he was stunned to see one of his employees camping out. He said he had never realized the woman was homeless and coming to work every day from her campsite.

Moffatt likes to make the point there is no "us" and "them" when it comes to homelessness, because many people are just a few missed paychecks away from living on the beach.

She also emphasizes the importance of assisting the Salvation Army and other nonprofit agencies that depend heavily on volunteers.

"I know one person can make a difference. I know," she said emphatically. "No matter what your background. You don't have to have money."

Moffatt has released jazz and gospel CDs, and in addition to her entertainment gigs, she works as a motivational speaker. She also is taking Maui Community College classes in substance abuse counseling.

Donations may be sent to the Salvation Army, 35 Hale Kuai St., Suite 105, Kihei, HI 96753.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.