Helping Keep Seniors Fed And Connected
By Lyn Moku, Director of Lanakila Meals on Wheels
The month of March mobilizes hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs across the country to reach out to their communities and build support for our elderly neighbors. The campaign takes place in March because it was during this month that the law was enacted that included senior nutrition programs in the Older Americans Act.
Lanakila Meals on Wheels is Hawaii’s largest and only island-wide meal provider delivering a quarter million meals to thousands of elderly kupuna across Oahu each year. Hundreds of caring volunteers, and public and private community partners make this possible.
Delivering so much more than nutritious meals, volunteers also provide a friendly visit and safety check. These are often the key services that allow seniors to remain in their own homes and prevent more costly care. A week of home-delivered meals costs $43. In comparison, one week of institutionalization costs $470.
Unfortunately, many more seniors urgently need support because of Hawaii’s rapidly aging population. Between 1990 and 2012, the number of seniors aged 75 and older increased by 116 percent in Hawaii, compared to 47 percent nationally.
You can make all the difference in the life of a senior by volunteering your time or making a donation to Lanakila Meals on Wheels. And now, it’s even easier to help.
We invite you to join the March for Meals Friday, March 13 at 10:30 a.m. at the Hawaii State Capitol to help show that Hawaii should be a place where no senior goes hungry.
Lanakila Meals on Wheels also needs volunteers to pack and deliver meals to home-bound seniors, help in the office or at one of the 16 group dining sites. Opportunities are available island-wide on Oahu, Monday through Saturday.
To help or learn more, visit www.LanakilaMealsonWheels.org, email cr@lanakilapacific.org or call 531-0555.
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