For Lori Lau, taking on the director’s job at Lanakila Meals on Wheels had the feel of coming home. While growing up, home included her parents’ Mongolian barbecue, with restaurants at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza, in Kaimuki and at Waikiki’s old International Market Place.
“I was always surrounded by food. And my parents … part of their love language to family, friends and customers was the joy of feeding people,” Lau said. “They could cook you something with a lot of love and make sure you had a full belly.”
Lau’s appreciation of the power of food and the relationships tied to it now serves her well at the islandwide meal delivery program for seniors and shut-ins on Oahu.
Critical to smooth operations are more than 200 volunteers who deliver meals along some 300 routes each week.
“We love our volunteers. This work could not be done without them,” she said.
To help prep new volunteers for delivery work, Lau often shares a learning experience from her first week on the job back in 2015. Previously, she had worked at other nonprofits, such as Goodwill Industries and the YMCA.
“I was excited to have my very first route sheet for delivery, driving to a stop on Nuuanu Avenue,” she said. With no street parking allowed on the avenue, Lau pulled over, switched on hazard lights and dashed to the door. After knocking and calling out for several minutes, her cheery mood gave way to impatience.
“I’m tapping my foot … I’m looking over my shoulder at the car, hoping I’m not going to get a ticket.”
Then, after several more minutes, a frail man leaning on a walker opened the door. “I’m watching him shuffle an inch at a time … and I realize that he probably spent the last 10 minutes just trying to get to the door,” Lau said, her voice tinged with emotion.
“When you actually meet the folks that we serve. When you actually see the tangible work that we do … it humbles me every day — it keeps pushing me to do this every day.”
Question: How many seniors are receiving meal delivery?
Answer: We serve more than 2,500 kupuna — and more than 400,000 meals each year in two programs.
For kupuna who are still active and independent, we welcome them to join us at Kupuna Wellness Centers where there are a variety of free activities including kupuna exercise classes, guest speakers, games, outings and a healthy meal.
For our homebound kupuna, our volunteers provide a meal, wellness check and a friendly visit. For many of our frail kupuna this visit is their only contact. It’s more than a meal; it’s a relationship.
Q: Lanakila Meals on Wheels is known for special holiday season deliveries. What’s in the works for Christmas?
A: The holidays can be a difficult time of year for homebound kupuna. That’s why the Lanakila Meals on Wheels team along with over 400 holiday volunteers work together to provide a special meal along with cards, gifts and a friendly visit to let our kupuna know they are not forgotten.
On Christmas Day, we’ll be there rain or shine to wish them a Merry Christmas with a special Hawaiian meal that includes chicken luau, kalua pork and cabbage. … We wouldn’t be able to do it without all the different community organizations, companies, individuals and families who give their time, money and gifts.
Also, for Christmas, we’re giving our kupuna a useful gift, such as a lap blanket, body towel or toiletries for them to use throughout the year. Groups like Rising Phoenix, Koko Head Lions, HGEA, Oahu Contractors and the Hawaii Air National Guard come out every year to help us pack and deliver the holiday meals and gifts across the entire island.
Q: How was the Thanksgiving effort?
A: We provided meals to over 900 kupuna. Our Lanakila Kitchen worked through the night to produce 3,600 pounds of roast turkey with all the trimmings.
Q: What sorts of community assistance could Meals on Wheels use now?
A: We’re always looking for volunteers to deliver meals, not just for the holidays but throughout the year.
The average volunteer will deliver meals for us one day a week for about two hours a shift. We’re currently recruiting for volunteers to deliver meals in Waianae, Waialua, Wahiawa, Salt Lake, Waikiki, Makiki and downtown for weekday routes (see www.lanakilamealsonwheels.org, or call 356-8519). In addition, we rely on monetary donations from the community to help pay for the meals and services.
Q: Is there a wait list for home delivery?
A: It’s estimated that 1 in 6 kupuna go hungry on a regular basis. Currently there are about 350 kupuna on the City and County of Honolulu’s wait-list for (subsidized) home-delivered meals. The biggest issue right now is funding. In Hawaii, the kupuna population is increasing at a pace of approximately 22 percent each year. While the cost of food, gas and everything else keeps going up, funding for meals just hasn’t kept up.
Q: The average Lanakila Meals on Wheels recipient is described an 85-year-old woman subsisting on an income of less than $1,000 a month?
A: Yes. In Hawaii we’re lucky to have some of the longest life expectancies in the country, but we also have some of the highest costs of living. … Our program is truly a lifeline for kupuna who may not be able to remain in their homes if we did not provide meals to them.
For the program cost of $170 a month, we can help kupuna maintain their independence and avoid the prohibitively high costs of nursing care and assisted living. (Meal service is available to both low-income kupuna, who receive free meals through city subsidy, and seniors tagged for out-of-pocket payment.)
Q: Lanakila Meals on Wheels has come a long way since the early 1970s when it started with a lunch wagon in Aala Park. What do you envision for the program’s future?
A: In the short-term, our priority is to address the wait-list and provide meals for those in need.
Longer-term, there are other services we hope to provide to our kupuna — everything from medical diets, like renal- or diabetic-friendly meals, to additional preventative and emergency services. In about 15 years, 25 percent of Hawaii’s population will be kupuna. We need to put services and resources in place to be ready to support their needs.
Q: What are your priorities for the upcoming legislative session at the state Capitol?
A: We will be supporting increased funding for kupuna care services. We will also advocate for the creation of a carryover fund that will bridge (federal) funding lags. These lags negatively impact our ability to budget and plan for the services our kupuna rely on (ranging from transportation to home maintenance programs).
Q: Earlier this year, there were concerns that President Donald Trump’s budget proposal would affect funding for Meals on Wheels? (On a national level, Meals on Wheels is a membership organization, with 5,000 community-based programs.)
A: We continue to watch the Trump administration to try to anticipate any future cuts in funding and services for kupuna. We currently have one federal home delivery grant that has not been funded since October (the federal year’s start). Had President Trump’s budget proposal been implemented, it would have negatively impacted Meals on Wheels programs across the country. We are relying on Congress and everyday citizens to stand up and defend critical services like Meals on Wheels and advocate for our kupuna, who cannot always speak up for themselves.
Q: What do you find most challenging and/or most rewarding about your work?
A: I have seen kupuna struggle with everyday tasks like just … getting out of a chair, and truly admire their dignity and strength.
… They’ve lived their lives, they’ve raised their families, they worked their jobs, they paid their taxes. They did their best … and they’ve just gotten to this place now because of age, because of health issues. They just need help and support.
Working so closely with our kupuna has changed me. It has made me re-evaluate my life and how I want to age. I believe in paying it forward. I hope to serve for as long as I can, and when my turn comes, hopefully there will be someone there for me.
