Lanakila Meals on Wheels' Christmas meal delivery provided hot meals for homebound seniors and warm hearts for everyone involved on this special day, from donors to volunteers. More than 200 volunteers came together to cook and deliver about 800 holiday meals with all the trimmings to homebound seniors.

The meal deliveries were accompanied with a visit by volunteers to brighten up seniors' days, and also included holiday and Christmas greetings made by grade school students. The menu includes roast chicken supreme, stuffed with ham and swiss cheese, bread stuffing broccoli spears, garlic mashed potatoes, rolls, and dessert.

This holiday season, Rising Phoenix Jaycees celebrated their 15^th year preparing, packaging, and delivering holiday meals for Lanakila Meals on Wheels.  The group's cadre of volunteers delivers nearly half of the 800 meals to homebound seniors across Oahu.

"We are so grateful for the company and community volunteers who spend part of their holiday making the day brighter for these seniors, and we are especially grateful to the hundreds of caring individuals and businesses, government and community organizations who helped fund our regular deliveries and Holiday deliveries this year," said Remy Rueda, Director of Lanakila Meals on Wheels.

Lanakila Meals on Wheels extends a special mahalo to all the volunteers who helped, including Waialua High School, Nanakuli Lion's Club, HECO, HGEA, Koko Head Lion's Club, Starbucks, Honolulu Christian Church, DISA-PAC, Temple Emanu-el, Rising Phoenix Jaycees, Matson Navigation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - Day Saints, The Biker's Association, Windward Women Democrats, Starbucks, Oahu Church of Christ, 21st Dental Company, Damien School Leo Club, TJ Mahoney, Hickam Federal Women's Association, Atlas Insurance, Honolulu Filipino Jaycees, Single Sailors and the Ladies of Hoonanea, who donated favors and holiday cards.

As our population ages, more and more people will depend on programs like Lanakila Meals on Wheels.  Lanakila Meals on Wheels, the largest MOW program in Hawaii, offers group dining at 20 community sites and home delivered meals to individuals island wide.  About a half a million meals, including holiday meals, are prepared and served annually to more than 2,685 seniors.

The donated gifts included about 750 aloha fashion dolls, 1,000 hula ragdolls, 1,000 keiki ragdolls, and a few hundred musical huts, canoes and dolls, and handpainted music boxes.  Trainees from Lanakila's workforce development program for people with disabilities helped package and deliver the toys.

"Lanakila is grateful to be part of a community that supports each other in times of hardship.  We have had so much support from the public for Lanakila Meals on Wheels and we appreciate the opportunity to be able to give back by providing toys for our keiki," said Marlena Willette, Lanakila Marketing Manager.

The dolls and toys were made by participants of Lanakila's programs, all of whom have either physical or cognitive disabilities.  Lanakila Production Services (formerly Lanakila Crafts) has shifted its training programs from developing crafts and now offers silk screening, assembly, packaging, shrinkwrapping, mailing and cut and sew services.  "This allows Lanakila to provide more training opportunities for the people we serve and help local businesses keep their projects made in Hawaii," said Monica Gavin, Lanakila's production manager.