Lanakila Meals On Wheels

I recently started volunteering here as a driver to deliver meals to the people in need. A lot of them are home bound without the ability to acquire food, or even if they're under the care of family, the meals provide some sort of time and monetary relief for everyone. Also, seniors can grab a meal at the cafeteria for free!The organization is amazing. The employees seem happy and they care a lot about the community and the volunteers too. It seems to be well-run with sufficient resources, although they always need more drivers so they can reach out to more people. Their meals on wheels program is for the whole island of O'ahu, and my route is focused on Waipahu. They have some baked goods and cookies for sale at supermarkets, at least at Don Quijote Waipahu. Their chocolate nut crispy cookies are really delicious! I can't say anything about the taste of the meals; but from what I saw, the meals seem balanced as they come with a frozen entree, milk, banana, orange, fruit cups, bread, etc. Some meals can accommodate special dietary needs like chopped, no pasta, etc. I wish everyone can afford food and have the capability to get food themselves, but unfortunately this is not the reality and am glad there's an organization who helps people become more independent and also provides some relief to the caregivers. Besides serving meals, they also hire people with disabilities. Sometimes we just need a helping hand to get things started. Blessings to everyone!

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Give back tothe community!The most gratifying work you can do is volunteer. My niece, nephew and I have been a volunteer doing meal delivery for Lanikila Meals on Wheels. They have a sense of pride being a volunteer and the lesson of giving back to the community. They have taken on the responsibility very well!Did you know that Lanikila Meals on Wheels is the largest and only island-wide delivery program in Hawaii for senioon Oahu. The non profit does a tremendous job in preparing and delivering food to our kupuna.The staff is extremely dedicated and work tirelessly. Please consider volunteering because your help will make an impact and difference to our kupuna and community.If you are interested in volunteering please go to the website - lanikilapacific.org. Click on VOLUNTEER and click on the VOLUNTEER APPLICATION. You can complete the application online.

I had the great privilege and opportunity to learn what this great facility was all about. The short story is they are a facility that offers a place for seniors to congregate for social interaction. In addition, they prepare meals for the many seniors who are incapable of preparing meals for themselves. The meals are packed, seemed to provide food for a few days and has everything, including the daily diet of milk. They have the delivery bags iced to keep the meals heathly while enroute. Each bag holds meals for 3 individuals and the bags are sorted and marked by area, ready for the volunteer deliver folks.The highlight was I had the opportunity to be a volunteer delivery person. While providing meals is the main thrust of the project, I've learned many of the seniors do not have people, family or friends to interact with on a daily basis. They look forward to the person bringing the meals, providing opportunity for human interaction.The coordinator of Lanakila was absolutely correct in her statement referring to the importance of our volunteer efforts. I walk away from my volunteer efforts a better person knowing I've help to pride food for the soul and companionship however brief for the mind! If you are reading this review and have the the time to volunteer, this is your cause. My last thought ends with thanking the Honolulu Yelp folks who are this effort possible

Tonight I was able to taste a Meals on Wheels dinner. It came frozen, an over night defrost in the refrig, and a 3 minute micro. Everything was bland which I expected. Added a little salt and the dinner became a 3/5 stars. Not bad. I'm reviewing it for all the elderly and needy families on the list. Also may ask them to send meals to my Mom when I'm out of town. She no longer drives. I got about 8 different dinners and will review them all!

This is my first time to volunteer for this organization, and I have to say that I'm very impressed. The staff is not only professional but also friendly, and knowledgeable.The entire Thanksgiving operation went smoothly. In the kitchen the volunteers were lined up to prepare and wrap the food plates as efficiently as possible. The volunteers who drove the food to their destination were given designated scheduled times to drive-up the loading zone to make sure the whole pick-up operation as streamlined as possible.I took a bunch of pictures. You can see the volunteers in action. View them on my site: www.augustodecastro.com. Just click on the Lanakila Meals on Wheels link.To learn more about this non-profit organization, go to their website:www.lanakilapacific.org

So I'm looking for volunteer work and have no experience I'm willing to try that out but what are the requirements to get in I'll do whatever it takes to succeed god bless and hallelujah thank Jesus amen.

Sometimes you have to put yourself in another person's shoes.Imagine yourself to be an 85 year old man/woman. Your spouse passed away; you live alone; and you own your home. You are cash poor and live on a fixed income of about a $1000 a month. You have children; but they live on the mainland or the ones that live here, seldom visit you. Most of your sibling and friends have died or are disabled. You cannot get a drivers license and you do not own a car. You are partially immobile so you don't get out of your house that often. You are trapped in your home and live a secluded life because there is no one you can depend on to take you to Longs or Safeway or shopping for clothes, food and other necessities of life.You may find this difficult to believe but nearly 1 in 3 residents of Hawaii over the age of 60 has a difficult time making ends meet and have an annual income that is below $10,000 a year.By the year 2020, one out of every four "people" in Hawaii will be 60 years and older.The fact of the matter is that that 85 year old may be your mother, father, aunty or uncle in a few years.From a statistical point of view, one of three of you that read this review, will be that 85 year old in the future.So is the story told by the Lanakila Pacific Volunteer Coordinator, Randi Jeung as all of us volunteers listened during our break from painting the inside of the Lanakila Meals on Wheels facility on Bachelot Street.Will L. organized this particular painting project and Justin U. and I from Yelp were two of the volunteers.Randi Jeung explained that Lanakila Pacific is a family of programs and services whose goals are to build independence and create a feeling of belonging to the community for it clients, who are the less fortunate people with disabilities.Lanakila Meals on Wheels is one of the programs of Lanakila Pacific. It is a volunteer driven, home delivery service that provides meals to seniors who are 60 years of age and older; and confined to their home. Lanakila Meals on Wheels started as a lunch wagon that served the needy at A'ala Park in 1971.Meals on Wheels fills a need for seniors with a limited budget. It provided low cost, nutritious meals; which helps seniors avoid costly institutionalization. Meals on Wheels is the difference of paying $38.00 a week of home delivered meals or $470 for a week for a senior day care service that provides meals.The program operates on income that are "donations". Seniors in the program make "donations" when they receive their meal. The suggested donation for a meal is $4.00; which can be in the form of cash, food stamps or checks. Even if a "donation" is less than the suggested amount, the service provided by Meals on Wheels is not affected. No senior in the program is denied a meal. Over 250,000 meals are served each year on over 90 different routes all over Oahu.As I was painting the walls of the Meals on Wheels facility I started thinking about my mother, my aunties, my uncles and even about me. I think it is in the best interest of all of us to make sure Lanakila Pacific and it Meals on Wheels program continue to exist because the fact of the matter is, it serves a great and growing need.Thank you Will L. for organizing this painting project. Thank you Randi Jeung and Lanakila Pacific for serving our seniors and the disabled.I think I will volunteer for more of these projects at Lanakila Pacific.I am the one that wrote this review. I think that from a statistical point of view, there is a good chance I will be the one in three. I have to prepare for the future.Me: "Randi! Ms. Jeung! I know you don't remember me but I was one of the guys that did a great job painting the purple wall. I would appreciate it if you tell the Meals on Wheels people what a great job I did on December 17, 2011. Please put in the good word for me so that Meals on Wheels takes good care of me if they are in my future."P.S. If you are interested in volunteering in any of the Lanakila Pacific programs and services or Meals on Wheels; you can contact Randi Jeung at 356-8532. Maybe if you volunteer; Ms. Jeung can put in the good word for you too!

I wanted to get a group of friends to help out in the community as my birthday celebration. Lanakila Pacific had the most efficient program I've seen for a nonprofit. Karen, Jocelyn, Jennifer, and Kevin were a pleasure to work with and able to accommodate us albeit the short notice. Packing was a riot and a great way to spend quality time with friends. Several from our group that went on deliveries came back with touching stories to share. Thanks for making my birthday meaningful. We'll be coming back to help for sure.

If you're looking for a rewarding volunteer experience that doesn't require a lot of your time, I encourage you to check out Lanakila Meals On Wheels. The program brings frozen or hot meals to senior citizens living on a fixed income. Most are homebound and live on their own or with a caregiver. A week's supply of frozen meals are usually delivered once a week, and the hot meals are delivered on a daily basis. The program is well-organized and every morning there are some great volunteers who help pack the meals for delivery.I've been volunteering for about 4 months now on a weekly basis. It's SO EASY! You just pick up the meals and they have a list of the addresses/people to deliver to. Since I've been doing it regularly, I always have the same route with the same people and it's been a joy getting to know them. It takes me about 2 hours to do my route but that's because I like to talk to the clients and one aunty on my route likes to teach me craft activities. LIFE SKILLS! 2 hours a week! To become a volunteer, there's no intense orientation or screening process like they have at hospitals or other volunteer organizations. I know right now they are especially looking for people who live on the west side of Oahu to cover the routes over there; there are a TON of their clients on that side! They are really flexible and are willing to accommodate your schedule if you could even just drop it off on your way home. How to become a volunteer is on their website and the primary contact for Meals on Wheels is Chris Wong. There's also a way for you to be reimbursed for gas on a monthly basis, but I decided not to go through with it. Whether you can spare a few hours to help pack the meals, or to be a driver, this is an amazing organization to be a part of and I'm so glad I found it. :) More about the organization- located behind Kuakini Medical Center, Lanakila Pacific is really great because they are dedicated to self-sufficiency. They build from within and give the very people they're trying to help jobs that help support the organization. Many of their workers in the kitchen, catering service, and printing service come from the actual program.

Your meals are the most disgusting, unappetizing things I have ever seen. Tasteless and lousy best describe every single meal.