The City and County of Honolulu has partnered with local restaurants, businesses and nonprofit organizations to carry out the “Show Aloha Challenge” initiative. It is a collaboration to deliver thousands of meals to küpuna for free.
During Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s “stay-at-home” order, many homebound seniors will need more support with home meal deliveries. If they do not have access to nutritious food, they can become weaker, putting them at greater risk. Other public-private partnerships announced that they will focus on serving vulnerable, homebound seniors and those living at senior housing projects. The “Show Aloha Challenge” will fill the gap of seniors who do not meet the qualifications for those other programs by providing door-to-door delivery.
Organizations such as Mira Image Construction and individual donors Seiji Aspengran and Corey Correa quickly recognized the need to take action. They joined the efforts of a newly formed coalition of government and nonprofit providers called the Kupuna Food Security Coalition, led by the Elderly Affairs Division of the City and County of Honolulu, with support fom AARP Hawai‘i, KANU Hawai‘i and Aloha United Way. The Show Aloha Challenge has a three-fold purpose:
Fill a vital gap in the community by providing nutritional meals to seniors who do not qualify for Medicaid or government-subsidized home meal delivery programs such as Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels and Lanakila Pacific;
Support local restaurants that are impacted by shutdowns; and
Challenge other organizations to join the important effort.
Seniors who would like to sign up for the free meal delivery may call St. Francis Healthcare System at 547-6501.
