Lanai Homebound Senior Nutrition Program

Contributed by the Manele Koele Charitable Fund. Photo courtesy of the Manele Koele Charitable Fund.

Left to right: Leslie Barayuga, Jody Anderson, Danette Rodriques, Glory Malaqui and Isalina Rendon from Lanai Community Hospital prep veggie packs and frozen meals.

We all have played the “Knock, Knock” game, guessing who’s there with varying degrees of humor, but for Lanai seniors a knock on their door may be Rachelle Garbin and Puna Villarimo delivering nutritious meals that bring a smile to their faces.

In early 2022, Manele Koele Charitable Fund (MKCF) found out there was food insecurity in our community, and home-bound seniors were “on their own” for meals on the weekend. The Lanai Senior Center was delivering meals Monday through Friday but noticed that seniors were saving part of their food to carry over on the weekends. MKCF set to work to find out how we could help.

It does take a village, and in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente, Lanai Community Hospital, Meals On Wheels, Pulama Lanai, and Lanai Community Association, a program was implemented to deliver fruit and veggie packs to home-bound seniors. We started delivering veggie packs in October 2022 and have now added frozen meals to the delivery. 

Fully cooked, frozen meals are ready to pop into the microwave at any time for the convenience of the recipient. Nutritious vegetables and fruit packs are included in each Friday delivery. Sensei Farms also donates lettuce weekly, helping to defray costs. Microwaves were provided to assist with the program and a state-of-the-art certified kitchen located at the Lanai Community Hospital prepares all the weekend meals delivered on island.

Thanks to the generosity of MKCF donors, $25,000 was allocated to this project, and we’ve been able to provide funding for the program for another year. Approximately 30 meals are delivered each week. This allows seniors who cannot shop or prepare meals to be self-sufficient and live at home longer.

Many dedicated volunteers help make this program possible. We’d like to recognize a few of the key individuals who have diligently worked to help our community. David Green, Katherine Knapp and President Sally Clemens, MKCF Board of Directors; Kris Kahihikolo, Lanai Senior Center Director; Kay Okamoto, President, Lanai Community Association Board of Directors; Jody Anderson, Kaiser Permanente Maui Food & Nutrition Services; Leslie Barayuga, Kaiser Permanente Maui Chef/Manager; Danette Rodriques, Lanai Community Hospital Food Service Supervisor; Isalina Rendon and Glory Malaqui, Lanai Community Hospital Food Service; Rachelle Garbin, Lanai Senior Center; Puna Villarimo, Lanai Senior Center Volunteer; David Culbreth, Kaiser Permanente Administrator.

Kerry Pitcher, formerly of Kaiser Permanente Maui, was instrumental in getting this program started and we will miss her leadership as she has left the organization.

With the help of so many, MKCF will continue to ensure that no kupuna goes hungry on the weekend!