At 92- year old, Fred Miyashiro isn’t as spry as he used to be.  But Monday, he called the Handi-Van service and struggled to get to Safeway to buy more food.

"You buy one package, they give you one free. Buy one, get one free. What a deal!" said Miyashiro.

The Liliha resident is one of hundreds of clients who used to get five frozen meals a week, but is being cut back to four.

Lanakila Meals On Wheels program managers hated to break the news to the seniors, but felt it was the best way to deal with a growing demand and shrinking pot of money.

"That just seemed like the right thing to do meet their needs rather than just cutting them off the list. It really has been a difficult decision because seniors need meals they need food," said Lyn Moku.

Volunteer Bob Boech was working in the freezer all morning to make sure Miyashiro's meals were ready to go for the week.  The food is cooked at the Lanakila commercial kitchen and then prepared for delivery.

"We try to have a week’s meals in the freezer ready to go, so the correct numbers are there and they are staged properly so people can come in and pack them," aid Boech.

The program currently serves 700 seniors and there is a waiting list of 400.

But to offset the effect of the belt tightening, it has started offering meals for an added cost.

"The private-pay program is really for people who can afford to purchase a meal it is $8.50 a meal, a frozen meal delivered to a person’s home. It’s not for everyone, but for those who can afford to pay or whose families can afford to pay, it is an option,” said Moku.