The Korea Food Research Institute and Meals on Wheels America has selected Hawaii nonprofit executive Claire Shimabukuro to represent the United States at an international symposium on foods for the elderly next month.
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Shimabukuro, the executive director of Hawaii Meals on Wheels, will give an opening speech at the symposium in Seoul, South Korea on May 28 and will share lessons from the organization.
Beginning with six clients, six volunteers, and two routes in 1979, Hawaii Meals on Wheels has grown to nearly 450 volunteers serving 750 clients on 50 different routes on Oahu. Last year, the organization delivered 88,000 hot meals.
Shimabukuro said community-based nutrition programs are increasingly important as the elderly population grows — a challenge many countries face.
“More and more elders are living alone,” she told PBN. “People are having less children and the older population is staying a live longer, so we have an age crisis — some call it the sliver tsunami.”
The Meals on Wheels model makes an impact in senior lives beyond their nutrition, she said. A recent national Meals on Wheels study showed that seniors who received hot meals not only had better nutrition, but they also had less mental health and cognitive issues that relate to isolation.
“Everyone comes and interacts daily, so that helps therapeutically but also reduces anxiety associated with the fear of falling,” she said.
“It’s quite a wonderful honor to have Meals on Wheels America represented at a world symposium. I know Claire will represent us well with her years of expertise,” said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals On Wheels America.
Shimabukuro brings more than two decades of experience in both private and nonprofit sectors.
“Claire’s sense of social responsibility and strong business sense has opened new doors of opportunities for Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels and has allowed our organization to remain viable through difficult periods, including economic downturns and sequestrations. As a result we have never had to cut or curtail services to Hawaii’s most vulnerable populations,” said Anna Blackwell, Hawaii Meals on Wheels board member.
