Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels (HMoW) is dedicated to helping frail elders and individuals with disabilities preserve their independence at home by providing hot, nutritious meals and regular personal contact.

Our History

Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels, Inc. is a private, not-for-profit 501c(3) organization. It was founded in 1979 to provide a home delivery meal service for frail elderly and disabled persons who were unable to cook or shop for themselves and did not have access to help for these essential functions.

Irmgard Hormann and others from various Honolulu churches spearheaded a committee to provide the basic nutritional and human support system for their isolated, disabled, and frail elderly neighbors.

The service began with two small routes in Makiki and Moili‘ili, six clients, six volunteers, and $25. Currently, HMoW serves over 250 clients each day with hot lunch or dinner meals. Delivery routes extend from Kalihi to Hawai‘i Kai, Ewa Beach to ‘Aiea, Mililani and from Kane‘ohe to Waimanalo. Every Monday through Friday, including holidays, the dedicated volunteers of Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels deliver hot meals with aloha.

HMoW operates from a Sunday School classroom rented from Manoa Valley Church. The organization has 4 full-time and 4 part-time paid staff. Meals are purchased from hospital and care home kitchens in the geographic areas where meals are delivered. HMoW is a volunteer-driven organization with approximately 200 volunteers on the road each week to ensure that homebound people in our communities do not go hungry.