Jikoen Hongwanji Mission held the first of its twice-yearly barbecue chicken benefit sales on Feb. 15. After many years of having supporters park and come in to pick up their orders, temple members got innovative last year and introduced a drive-thru line with temple volunteers bringing the purchaser’s order out to their car. The line moved along smoothly on Feb. 15.Volunteers arrived at the temple early in the morning to make inarizushi to sell.Sally Kageyama, Janet Ito and Zina Nagamine show off the fresh andagi for sale.Volunteer Geno Oshiro, who is by day a school cafeteria manager, flashes a shaka while checking the temperature of the cooked chicken for safety reasons.There were satisfied customers of all varieties. Even this yellow Labrador retriever was pleased with the aromas of the chicken and andagi coming from the bag that volunteer David Jones passed to the driver.Inside the social hall, young Braden Nakamura helps his dad, Brad, pack the barbecue chicken in plastic bags.Volunteers Kai Fraser and his mother, Dawn, help bag the hot chicken.In the kitchen of Jikoen’s social hall, Jean Yamashiro slices maki sushi, both tuna and veggie varieties, for volunteers to enjoy for lunch after their hard work.Jikoen member Myrna Nishihara tracks sales on a flip board.Everyone had a job to do . . . even the Rev. Shindo Nishiyama, Jikoen’s resident minister. He happily threw in a bonus mirror wipe-down for supporters as volunteers brought their orders out to their car.
