Age: 49

Title: Executive director

Organization: Hawai'i Meals on Wheels Inc.

High school: Grover Cleveland High School in Seattle

College: Bachelor of arts in communications, University of Washington; working on master's in public administration, University of Hawai'i-Manoa

Breakthrough job: Tasaka considers working at KIRO Newsradio in Seattle as her breakthrough job. She started as an intern and worked her way up to night editor. "I was the only Asian woman on the staff, and the only other woman there did traffic news from a helicopter," she said. "It was very cool to hear my name on the air by the on-air news anchors after each newscast. I actually got to cover a story on special assignment, riding on a caravan from Seattle to Puyallup, Wash., where a horse stable was turned into a relocation center for Japanese-Americans held during World War II. We were given numbers and tags to wear. It was a very moving experience. The story aired and was well-received."

Little-known fact: In the late '80s Tasaka worked at KGU Radio on weekends, producing news segments and operating the sound board for John DeMott and Derek Tatsuno when they re-created Hawaii Islanders baseball games. "I started to like baseball after that," she said.

Major challenge: Preparing for the population boom of seniors and elderly in 2020, when one out of every four individuals on O'ahu will be 60 years or older. "Somewhere along the way, they may need services such as Hawai'i Meals on Wheels," Tasaka said. "So the demand is there, but it will be greater in years to come."

Book recently read: "Dreams From My Father," by Barack Obama, a gift from her sister-in-law.

Hobbies: Making decorative soap.

Mentor: Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink. "I admired her because she stayed true to her core values and beliefs when she faced discrimination and throughout her political career," she said. "She ran for president. She co-authored the Title IX legislation for equity in women's sports at the college level. She was a progressive thinker and a great orator. I really, really miss her."

Q. You served as executive director for the Hawai'i State Commission on the Status of Women for six years. What attracted you to this job at Hawai'i Meals on Wheels?

A. When I was doing advocacy, I worked on issues that related to seniors such as long-term care and affordable prescription drugs. I liked the idea of helping and serving a certain population, primarily elderly and disabled who have real needs for nutrition. And I thought that what (Meals on Wheels provides) is a great and noble service, and I wanted to be part of that.

Q. March marks national Meals on Wheels month. Last year Hawai'i Meals on Wheels delivered more than 57,000 hot meals to 528 clients throughout O'ahu. What are the agency's plans for growth?

A. Well, we've outgrown our present location (at Manoa Valley Church), as much as we're blessed to be here given that the church has allowed us to use this space (an empty Sunday school classroom) for free. We've been here for more than 10 years. In order for us to talk about the growth of our organization, we need to find a larger office space to accommodate a growing staff, to allow volunteers to come in and help us with things besides delivering meals ... (Working in a small space) is very humbling. It tells you about the heart of the people working here.

Q. Hawai'i Meals on Wheels was selected by Ad 2 Honolulu as the recipient of its public service campaign this year. What will this not-for-profit organization do for your agency?

A. It's a wonderful opportunity for us. Ad 2 is committed to delivering a comprehensive advertising campaign for us — for free. They come up with all the creative, do all the marketing research, develop TV, radio and print pieces. They've even refreshed our logo and gave us a new look. This helps us get the word out about what we do in the community. And that's half the struggle.

Q. How is the agency funded?

A. It's a struggle for nonprofits such as ours to come up with really innovative and interesting ways to raise funds. We don't have a steady revenue source. We're 100 percent service-out. We don't have a product that people can buy ... A lot of (our funding) comes from individual donations that we're thankful for because that's been steady. We also get a bulk of money from private foundations, trusts and grants. Only about 25 percent is government funding.

Q. What is your annual budget?

A. $500,000. We'd like to increase that, but there's going to be additional expenses such as moving and growing our staff, so we have to weigh it out. We're looking at controlled growth, to be smart in our policies and projection of growth.

Q. Your agency has more than 570 volunteers. How important are they to Hawai'i Meals on Wheels?

A. Ninety percent of the meals are delivered by our volunteers. That's really wonderful and amazing.

Q. Do these volunteers also provide a type of companionship for the clients they serve?