Thanks to the generosity of our community, Hawai’i Meals on Wheels raised $18,000 for meals to housebound kūpuna! This past Saturday, we held our ‘Ohana Meal Pack Drive-Thru Fundraiser in partnership with Banquet Solutions Hawaii and HARRIET Hawaii. Mahalo to our supporters who placed more than 200 orders for delicious meal packs full of Hawaiian food prepared by Local 5 hotel chefs. From what started as a small fundraiser during the pandemic, this annual drive-thru event has grown in popularity and gained so much support!
A BIG mahalo to event co-chair Stacy Nakano whose collaborative and creative mind sparked this fundraising idea three years ago. She rallied more than 35 volunteers from Boy Scout Troop 42, Farrington High School’s Leo Club and KEY Club, and other longtime volunteer friends to help with sign waving and packing and loading meals.
Mahalo also to our event co-chair Walter Kinoshita whose leadership over the past five years has offered us invaluable insight into event promotion, fundraising, and volunteer recruitment. Walter brings the FUN to every planning meeting and event!
Thank you to every volunteer for their hard work and to Stacy and Walter for their friendship and dedication to the HMoW mission.
Click on the images below to watch these behind-the-scenes videos of our volunteers hard at work!
We received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the meal packs! Mahalo nui to Banquet Solutions Hawaii, Inc. with special thanks to James Hardway, Executive Director at Hawaii Hotel and Restaurant Industry Employment and Training Trust Fund (HARIETT), and Program Manager Keith Nakano for their longtime support and coordination of meal preparation.
Mahalo also to the businesses that donated hundreds of pounds of meat and fresh produce along with plate lunch supplies!
From left: Evelyn Fonseca, HMoW Executive Assistant, with Richard Lee from Richard’s Meat Market; Dwight and Trese Otani of D. Otani Produce; and Evelyn Fonseca with owners of Aala Meat Market.
Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels has kept up with the growing demand for home-delivered meals because of supporters like you. Every month, we receive 135 calls with meal requests. And thanks to your generosity, we’re able to deliver nearly 15,000 meals to kūpuna on 80 routes and locations throughout O’ahu every month!
To learn how you can join us in providing nutritious meals to homebound kūpuna, click HERE. A $35 donation allows us to prepare and deliver nutritious meals to a kūpuna for one week.
