MO'ILI'ILI — The ordinarily quiet little blue house on Nako'oko'o Street was all abuzz yesterday.

About 130 volunteers wearing white "Fix It Up" T-shirts sweated under the hot sun to finish a holiday makeover of the office of Project Dana, a local volunteer organization that provides social support to elderly residents.

"Oh, my goodness. I'm so grateful. So grateful," said Cyndi Osajima, 51, Project Dana's volunteer project coordinator, who ran back and forth taking pictures yesterday.

Up until this week, Osajima described the building as "termite-eaten" with peeling paint and rain gutters so destroyed by rust that they leaked every time it rained.

"And that's just the outside," she added.

The labor and materials for the makeover were donated by MC&A Inc., a local company that organizes events and excursions for groups visiting Hawai'i.

Yesterday, workers swarmed in and around the house like Santa's elves, replacing the leaky gutters, installing new linoleum in the bathroom and hacking through the jungle of a backyard. They even added a fresh coat of blue paint to the outside (Project Dana wanted to preserve the house's character). Volunteers painting a storage shed behind the house grooved to music being spun by a live DJ nearby.

A few years ago, MC&A began organizing yearly public service projects for employees to encourage teamwork and give back to the community, said Chris Resich, the company's president and CEO.

"One of our core values is supporting the community," Resich said. "Project Dana addresses seniors, a segment of the community that needs support and help."

Few of the volunteers had backgrounds in carpentry or home repair, but the group managed to finish the project in under five days. The majority of the work was done yesterday afternoon and was completed by 5 p.m.

At about 3 p.m., a large moving truck pulled into the driveway and volunteers unloaded 50 holiday gift baskets for seniors containing donated paper towels, tissues, bottles of water, hand lotion and T-shirts.

"It's wonderful to be able to give back to a community that supports us," said Mark Ross, 39, an event manager with MC&A who cleared plants and debris from the backyard yesterday. Ross flew to O'ahu from his home in Kona on Wednesday to help with the makeover.

From its founding in 1989, Project Dana has expanded to include 750 volunteers on O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island. The project currently serves about 950 seniors and their families, bringing meals, taking seniors shopping and to medical appointments and providing respite for family caregivers. The project is sponsored by the Moiliili Hongwanji Mission.

Project Dana moved to the tiny two-bedroom house in 1992 when the place was "empty and deteriorating," said Rose Nakamura, Project Dana's administrator.

Nakamura guesses the house is about 75 years old. The group converted it into a small office space from which seven full- and part-time staff oversee the organization.

Over the years, the group has let care of their office slide and relies entirely on volunteers to help pull weeds and do repairs.

"Our priority is to provide services, so maintenance becomes less of a priority," Nakamura said.

"Dana" is a Sanskrit word that means "generosity" or "giving," which is the mission of the organization, she said.

The commotion in the small neighborhood yesterday drew a handful of spectators.

"They're very worthy because they do so much for people," said Emiko Watanabe, 77, who has lived across the street at Lehua Villa for over 20 years.

Watanabe was happy and relieved to learn about the makeover.

"I was wondering why that big truck was there for so many days," she said. "I didn't know what was going on — a circus? A carnival? A party?"

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