Off the News

No vacations for Meals on Wheels

Time is money — and Hawaii's worthwhile Meals on Wheels program is in need of both.

The charitable program that delivers meals to elderly shut-ins and others needs volunteers to help prepare and deliver food. It's summertime, which like Christmas is a chronic shortage-of-hands period due to vacations.

So do a good deed and help those in need — especially if you've got free time on your hands. Or, if you've got less time than money, consider donating some cash (www.lanakilapacific.org/donate) because when the price of gas goes up, so does the cost of a meal. To volunteer, see www.lanakilapacific.org/volunteer/join or call Tiffany at 356-8541.

Can the Queen Theater be saved?

Queen Theater, eyed for salvation by enthusiasts, may never be quite the grand dame that the reclaimed Hawaii Theatre Center is, but it won't cost quite so much to restore it, either. And that's a good thing: These are not the best of times to be launching drives to raise tens of millions of dollars.

Kaimuki has more modest hopes. A multipurpose theater, where both film screenings and live performances could take place, would be a welcome asset for everyone, and it would be nice to see a bit of the retro charm of Kaimuki be saved.

Let's see what the community wants — and what it's willing to pay for.