KAPA‘A — It was lunchtime, but it was only Tuesday for Lorraine Rapozo and her passengers Amanda Kaleiohi, who lives with Alzheimer’s Disease, and her daughter Sheryl Kaleiohi, who is fighting stage 4 cancer.
“I have another, newer car,” Rapozo said. “This one doesn’t have air conditioning, so they just gotta sweat it out.”
She was picking up lunch for herself and the two ladies from the 3 Ladies food truck that was parked at the All Saints Episcopal Church gym parking lot in Kapa‘a.
“This is Tuesday,” Rapozo said. “If it was Wednesday or Saturday, we’d be doing Chicken In A Barrel at the Coconut Marketplace.”
For the past several weeks, Rapozo has been delivering Chicken In A Barrel meals from the Coconut Marketplace to people in the community at the rate of about a hundred meals a week.
“I have another helper, Jennie, I dunno her last name,” Rapozo said. “I just call her “haole Jennie.” I’ve been caring for Amanda for several years now and, only recently, we got Amanda’s daughter Sheryl, who is battling stage 4 cancer. But we go out and deliver the meals into the community to anyone who can use a meal.”
“We’ve gone to the fire stations, the police station, and even given meals to the county workers,” Rapozo said. “They work really hard. Sometimes, we find kupuna who need a meal, and we even delivered to the houseless people in Lihu‘e.”
Rapozo said Chicken In A Barrel provides the meals, and she and her helpers go out and find people who need them.
“You know, tomorrow is Wednesday,” Rapozo said. “If I can find you, I’ll get one to you, too.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
What a wonderful woman!!!!