Volunteer and Support Opportunities

Welcome!  You are part of Puna Hongwanji ohana and we welcome your participation and support in the ways that work best for you.

Anpan/Bread Making

Anpan (a bun with red beans inside) and milk bread  are made in alternate months from January to October every 4th Wednesday. 1st shift volunteers come in the early morning around 3:00 a.m., 2nd shift group comes around 5:00 a.m., and other volunteers (members’ friends too) come in whenever they can.

A bag containing two anpan is currently $3.50 and a loaf of milk bread is currently $5.50. There is a deadline for orders and people come to pick up, or we also do delivery for large orders.

Anpan/Bread group is a Kyodan committee and the funds raised are used for kitchen repairs, needs and improvements.

Puna Project Dana

people eating lunch in a restaurant setting

Puna Project Dana is a volunteer nondenominational organization which is an approved activity of Puna Hongwanji.  Dana means “selfless-giving without expecting anything in return.”

The purpose of Project Dana is to “provide a variety of faith-based volunteer services to the frail elderly, the disabled and caregivers who are in need of social support in order to maintain a reasonable quality of life.” As we were born as a human being, we will surely experience aging, sickness, death and that of family and friends. No one can replace other person’s life, yet we can be there to be a help to others.

Services include home visitation, call visitation, transportation, and so on. You may apply as a client or a volunteer. 

“I slept and I dreamed that life is full of joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.”  (Kahlil Gibran)

Hi-Lites Newsletter

Hi-Lites is our monthly newsletter. The Hi-Lites team edits, folds newsletters, and mails out. You are invited to help us prepare the newsletters for mailing, which we usually do in the last week of the month.

Members and friends can receive a newsletter through mail or email. If you wish to receive via email, let us know at hilites@punahongwanji.org. If you wish to submit your article or opinion, please send it to hilites@punahongwanji.org by the 15th of each month.

Events/Activities

Throughout a year, there are many events and activities at Puna Hongwanji or off-site. You and your friends are cordially invited to participate. Also, your help will be greatly appreciated. Announcements will be made as need arises.

Donation

Our temple is supported by members’ dues and fundraising activities, helped by friends and the community. Your monetary, material, and non-material donations are always welcomed and appreciated. Donations are tax deductible.

Our address is 16-492 Old Volcano Road, Kea’au, Hawai’i 96749

Boutique

Puna Hongwanji runs a boutique store that is open most Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. This is to generate income for the temple. If you have any items you want to donate, please let us know! We will do the pick up too.

Yard Maintenance

volunteer tends to a border planting

Puna Hongwanji is blessed with beautiful trees, nicely maintained lawns, hedges and peaceful gardens. Every other Tuesday morning around 7:30 a.m., volunteers come to do yard maintenance. They mow the lawns, trim the trees and hedges, pull out weeds, clean up falling branches and rake and dispose the debris. Please come and help keep Puna Hongwanji “Green” clean and nice. You may also volunteer to do yard maintenance at other times.

Repair & Maintenance

Buildings and facilities of Puna Hongwanji Mission are:  Main temple, Columbarium, women’s & men’s bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, social hall, minister’s office, Dharma School room, Sr. YBA room, the parsonage and a garage.

Members take care of facilities and repair them as need arise. All existing buildings were built with members donating financial help and labor.

If you have any skills such as carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, painting, etc. please share your talents with us.

Board Of Directors

Board of Directors are the decision-making body of Puna Hongwanji, meeting every third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. Please see Board of Directors in the About Us section of the website for a listing of officers and committee chairs. Maybe there is an area where you would like to share your skills and talents!

Toban System

volunteers with headnets and hats smiling in the kitchen

Toban literally means “on duty.” A volunteer work group is referred to as a toban, loosely organized by districts: Hilo, Keaau, Mt. View/Kurtistown/Volcano, and Pahoa. Although a toban group is categorized by a place where members live, you may join another group if you prefer.

Toban follow a monthly rotation schedule. Each toban works 3 months in a year and is assigned to clean up or prepare refreshments once a week for a month. The cleaning toban cleans the temple, columbarium, office, and bathrooms, changing altar flowers for the temple, columbarium and the monuments outdoors. Refreshments toban prepare refreshments for Sunday services.

Also, when there is a special event occurring at a temple/off site, toban groups may be asked to help prepare refreshments.

If you would like to help, please ask a member or the minister. You will find the name of the toban chairs on the dining room calendar.

We feel alive when we do things for not only ourselves, but also for others.

See Also