One Community Health Gets a Delicious Delivery, Thanks to Opportunity Connections & Lilo’s Hawaiian BBQ
New lunchtime delivery service taps the skills of the disabled, meets a community need
Hood River, Ore., Oct. 22, 2018 — Lilo’s Hawaiian BBQ in The Dalles never tasted so delicious—and it’s got nothing to do with this local restaurant’s savory, healthy dishes. Lilo’s is now offering lunchtime deliveries, providing hot meals for meetings and more, with the help of its new delivery carriers: clients of Opportunity Connections.
Opportunity Connections is a nonprofit that helps people with developmental disabilities live independently and enjoy activities in their communities. In the case of Lilo’s, Opportunity Connections Relationship Manager Wes Williams discovered a skillset for two of their clients—making food deliveries for a restaurant in The Gorge—and José Ruis, Lilo’s owner, signed up immediately.
“We’d already been playing with the idea of doing delivery but had never really gone for it,” Ruis says. “So when Opportunity Connections approached us with the idea, it was a win-win. It helps our restaurant in The Dalles, but it’s a good cause that also helps the community.”
Lilo’s Owner José Ruis (far right) watches on as the Opportunity Connections crew rolls out of Lilo’s for a lunch delivery. Shown here: Opportunity Connections’ Tony Govea and Chelsi Curtis assist Terry Bolton (pink) and “Ted” Carroll (seated) make their way to One Community Health.
On Friday, October 19, Terry Bolton and Jeremy “Ted” Carroll made their first delivery ever to One Community Health (OCH), a nonprofit federally qualified health center advancing health and social justice for all people in the Gorge. Terry and Ted put on their Lilo’s Hawaiian BBQ shirts and picked up the barbeque from the restaurant. They were then were transported by Opportunity Connections to OCH, where they dropped off lunch with Clinical Integration Director Elizabeth Aughney, DDS. In the OCH lobby, big smiles formed and conversations of gratitude surfaced as food passed from one hand to another.
“When I heard Wes was looking for a business to pilot this food delivery program, I said One Community Health would absolutely love to do it for our Columbia Gorge Oral Health Coalition meeting,” Aughney says. “We already work with Opportunity Connections with another one of their clients, and anything we can do that makes sense—we’re on board! Plus, Lilo’s is great—and food always tastes better when you know it’s supporting a good cause.”
Now that the program has officially piloted at OCH, as well as tested for development purposes in the early stages at Bi-Coastal Media, it goes live November 1. Anyone interested in having Lilo’s lunch delivery for their business, office or organization in The Dalles can contact Lilo’s directly. While there may be some kinks to work out, there’s no reason this program shouldn’t take hold and become a hallmark of the restaurant’s services for food fans in The Dalles.
“José really deserves so much credit,” says Williams, of Opportunity Connections. “He didn’t care about stigma, he didn’t care about others’ opinions. He just knew what was right and did it. The same goes for One Community Health…They jumped on board without hesitation and were over-the-moon excited to be part of our launch, and it makes perfect sense because One Community Health is making sure we all live better, stronger and happier. The synergy among the three organizations—One Community Health, Lilo’s and Opportunity Connections—is really representative of what we’re all trying to do. And now, thanks to this collective effort, we’re able to give two people jobs that help to enhance their lives.”
For information about Lilo’s Hawaiian BBQ’s new delivery service, call: 541.296.3404. For information about Opportunity Connections, contact: Wes Williams, relationship manager, 509.637.3907.
About One Community Health
One Community Health (OCH) is a nonprofit, Federally Qualified Health Center with locations in The Dalles and Hood River, Ore. Formerly known as La Clínica del Cariño Family Health Care Center, Inc., it was founded in 1986 and, today, has evolved into an official Patient-Centered Primary Care Home. OCH currently provides services to more than 12,000 patients. In addition, OCH excels in providing educational programs and support that reflect its integrated approach to health and wellbeing. Dedicated to advancing health and social justice for all its community members, OCH serves patients from the Mid-Columbia River Gorge Region: Wasco, Hood River, Klickitat and Skamania Counties. To donate or for more information, visit the OCH website.