Local partners, advocates and families are planning to gather this week at Lanakila Pacific for Work360, a free community event highlighting various internal training sites and career pathways for people with disabilities.
The annual event, which coincides with National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, will also showcase the nonprofit’s Employment Services program, among others, while recognizing individuals with disabilities who are making a difference in the workplace.
Work360 will run from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Lanakila Pacific, which is located at 1809 Bachelot St. in Honolulu. Validated parking will be available nearby at Kuakini Medical Center. For more information or to RSVP for the event, click here.
Last week, Aloha State Daily got to tour the organization’s facilities, where we learned more about its mission “to build independence and improve quality of life for individuals with cognitive, physical, social, or age-related challenges.”
In preparation for Wednesday’s event, organizers said at the time that it’s been “all hands on deck.”
“All of our departments are working together,” Lanakila Pacific’s development manager Mark Polonskiy told ASD. “For Work360, we’re not just welcoming our vendors and partners, but it’s an opportunity for individuals and companies to get to know us on a bigger scale and to come see our social enterprises and programs.”
In its early years, the organization evolved from a rehabilitation program permitting patients to return to work after recovering from the tuberculosis pandemic of 1939 to supporting individuals with cognitive, physical and developmental disabilities, per its website. It also served as a local manufacturer, creating custom aloha shirts. Today, custom screen printing and embroidery remains available for customers.
What today is called Lanakila Pacific Meals on Wheels launched as a lunch wagon at ʻAʻala Park in 1971, the website notes. The Lanakila Pacific Kitchen was established soon after to prepare the meals in-house, which were then dispersed directly to homes. The kitchen also prepares baked goods for local retailers and offers catering for larger gatherings.
In fiscal year 2025, more than 560,000 meals were provided to keiki, kūpuna and people with disabilities, according to the nonprofit’s latest annual report, which notes that a total of nearly 2,9000 O'ahu residents received service by Lanakila Pacific.
Nearly 290 adults with disabilities received job training and employment placement support from Lanakila Pacific Employment Services last year, and more than half of the organization’s staff have a documented disability, per the report.
Additional Lanakila Pacific services that help build independence include Teaching & Learning Centers, which offers participants guidance on life skills and personal growth; Grounds Services, a career pathway that upkeeps commercial and government sites; Training Grounds, real-world job training in foodservice; and Kūpuna Wellness gatherings and activities held in-person and online, according to its website.
Call for volunteers
Looking to give back to community this holiday season and beyond?
Lanakila Pacific is seeking committed volunteers to help pack and deliver meals on Thanksgiving, Christmas — and all year round.
For those looking to commit to volunteering long-term, packing shifts are open Tuesdays through Fridays. Saturdays are great for one-time group volunteers.
Delivery drivers must use their own personal, insured vehicles. Note: Delivery routes and locations may vary across the island weekly and mileage is reimbursed. Drivers must be 16 years or older with a valid driver’s license and mobile phone to access the Lanakila Pacific Meals on Wheels delivery app. Shifts typically occur in the mornings from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesdays through Saturdays.
All volunteers must pass a background check. Learn more and apply here.
Polonskiy told ASD during the tour that a key part of a driver’s duty is to provide wellness checks and to socialize with seniors.
“We want to engage and talk story with them because sometimes we are the only human they see that day. Our app also allows us to update their condition, if needed,” he said.
A Meals on Wheels volunteer supervisor added: “There are a lot of moving pieces here, but our staff is so kind and our volunteers come from all walks of life."
When asked what he'd say to others thinking about joining Lanakila Pacific’s mission, he said, “They’re going to find like-minded and like-hearted people here. It’s a welcoming environment and I am grateful for this job and community.”
Holiday meal fundraiser
Let Lanakila Pacific Kitchen prepare your holiday meal for a good cause.
Customers can order full ($260, 20 to 22 pounds) or half ($230, 10 to 11 pounds) turkey meals for Thanksgiving, which include fixings of garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, herb stuffing, corn cobettes, dinner rolls with butter, cranberry sauce and pumpkin crunch dessert. Orders must be picked up between 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26
For Christmas, consider the prime rib meal ($280) complete with herb-roasted potatoes and au jus, green bean casserole, sweet Hawaiian rolls with butter and sweet potato haupia. Orders must be picked up between 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 25.
Quantities are limited; orders will be taken while supplies last. Both meals require reheating and instructions will be included with each order. To place an order, click here.
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
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