Holiday meals are a means to share, care and socialize

Nena and Edward Della were excited to hear the knock at the door from the man in the bright-orange shirt delivering their hot turkey meals on Thanksgiving morning.

The couple, both 75, were among the 1,000 participants in Lanakila Pacific’s Meals on Wheels program, which provides 382,000 meals a year to homebound seniors and the disabled.

“Thank God we have an organization like that to help the elderly and disabled persons. My husband is not driving, so they give us the Meals on Wheels,” said Nena Della, who suffered a stroke in 2010 that left her partially paralyzed on the left side of her body.

The Dellas have been receiving meals daily for the past three years.

“It’s hard for us to cook all the meals every day,” said Edward Della. “The meals are good, and we’re happy to have it every day.”

David Howe, executive administrator at Lanakila Pacific, delivered the special Thanksgiving food to the Kalihi residents.

“For a lot of these folks that we deliver to, it’s more than just a meal. Sometimes we might be the only visitor that they’ll have during the day, so it’s great to be able to sit down and just talk story with them for a few minutes,” Howe said. “It’s kind of a wellness checkup, too. We kind of want to make sure everything’s OK and make sure everybody’s doing well.”

Some 5 miles away approximately 1,300 striking hotel workers from Unite Here Local 5 were expected to attend a Thanksgiving luncheon on the beach in Waikiki, a quick respite before getting back to the picketing and chanting on the street corners of Hawaii’s most popular vacation destination.

The workers are seeking higher wages and have been on strike since Oct. 8 against Kyo-ya, owner of the Marriott-managed Sheraton Waikiki, Royal Hawaiian, Westin Moana Surfrider, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani and Sheraton Maui.

Jenny Johnson, a cook at Sheraton Waikiki, spent Thanksgiving serving meals to her co-workers.

“The amount of people coming together to share a meal today is extraordinary because it really is just everyone in the hotel gathering together and enjoying each other and enjoying the camaraderie that we’ve built over the last six weeks,” she said.

Geraldine Acoba, a Sheraton Waikiki housekeeper, joined the bittersweet celebration with her 9-year-old son, Gabriel.

“I’m thankful because I spent time with my co-workers and we are getting stronger every day,” she said. “We know that we’re fighting for what is right.”

At the Neal Blaisdell Center, the Salvation Army was expecting to serve Thanksgiving meals to more than 2,000 people from all walks of life. Roughly 800 volunteers from civic clubs, schools, the military and other groups were expected to help at the annual event.

Dena Ammons of Kalihi said she decided to bring along her grandchildren to meet people in the community.

“I’ve cooked for the past years for me and my family, so I decided not to cook this year. Usually I see people I know in here ’cause it’s for the whole community,” the 50-year-old said. “Meeting new people is what I like to do.”

Seventy-year-old Laverne Losa from Waikiki attended the community luncheon with her boyfriend, Adam Lono, and mother, Elsie Gordon. She has been attending the Salvation Army event for the past five years.

“You no need cook,” Losa said. “We have children but they’re gone already, they’re big, so we no need make for anybody anymore. No more family at home. We love coming here.”