Hawaii Meals on Wheels

Hawai'i Meals on Wheels was founded in 1979 to provide home-delivered 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. Former State of Hawai'i librarian Irmgard Hörmann and the Social Ministries Committee of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu spearheaded the formation of a committee representing different denominations and several Honolulu churches to provide a basic nutritional and human support system for their isolated, disabled, and frail elderly neighbors. The other founding churches included Central Union Church, Church of the Crossroads, Manoa Valley Church, The Parish of St. Clement, Unitarian Church of Honolulu, First Christian Church, First Presbyterian Church and First United Methodist Church. The service began with two small routes in Makiki and Moiliili, 6 clients, 6 volunteers and $25. In the past 43 years, Hawai'i Meals on Wheels has grown in response to an increasing need for fresh, home-delivered meals and friendly visits that also serve as wellness checks. We serve hot meals every weekday frozen meals weekly to more than 600 homebound elderly and disabled individuals. More than 100,000 meals are served on 60 delivery routes in Leeward, Windward, Central O‘ahu and the entire Honolulu metropolitan and suburban area. Meals are prepared by hospital, care home and commercial kitchen vendors throughout the island. This enables volunteers to pick up meals at a location in their immediate community and deliver them to their neighbors. The contracting of these institutional kitchens also enables us to meet the need for medically therapeutic food, such as low sodium, low fat, no added-salt and puréed meals. Hawai`i Meals on Wheels has a diverse delivery force of hundreds of volunteers. Many of these volunteers are active retirees. Others are students, church groups, business groups, military units, informal groups and caring individuals. Every Monday through Friday, including holidays, these dedicated volunteers bring food and aloha to help ensure that no senior or disabled person goes hungry or is lonely.

Hawaiʻi Meals on Wheels, Inc. is dedicated to helping Oʻahu’s elders and individuals with disabilities preserve their independence at home. We do this primarily by providing hot and frozen nutritious meals and regular personal interaction with those we serve.