Mikuni Restaurants To Help Provide Relief For Japan
Bayside Church and Mikuni Restaurant Group, Inc. are joining together to help those affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami earlier this month. On March 30, 2011, the two groups will host a special evening of dining including sushi with Mikuni executive chef Taro Arai as well as other restaurant partners, art auctions and entertainment featuring Japanese taiko drums at Bayside Church in Roseville, with the hope of raising up to $75,000 in relief.
Both Mikuni and Bayside are actively working on ways to help the people of Japan after the disaster, but recently decided to join efforts to do even more .
"Our heart goes out to those affected by this tragic event," said Ray Johnston, senior pastor at Bayside. "We have been inundated from our attendees with a desire to help. So we decided to provide an opportunity to learn about the Japanese culture – its food, art and music – while helping those in need. Mr. Arai attends many of our events here at Bayside and we both share the same heart and love for people. It should be a great evening of giving, learning and healing."
Mikuni embarked on its own efforts to help earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan by offering the Mikuni "Rescue Roll" to guests in its restaurants. All sales of the specially-made roll will be donated toward relief efforts in Japan. In addition, Mr. Arai's autobiography, Abundance: Finding the American Dream in a Japanese Kitchen, which retails for $25, will be sold with 100 percent of sales are also going to the relief effort. Both fundraisers will go through the end of the month, March 31, 2011.
"We have been so touched by the outpouring of support from our community," said Mr. Arai. We are not only thankful for Bayside's partnership in hosting this evening with us, but also the heart of those that attend here who desire to serve and help. We are honored to represent the Japanese culture in this way, and to serve our fellow Japanese people even from 5,000 miles away."
Appetizers and the silent auction begin at 6:00 p.m. at Bayside Church's campus at 8191 Sierra College Blvd. in Roseville, CA. The 6:30 p.m. dinner includes delicious food, a musical performance of traditional Japanese taiko drums from Sacramento Taiko Dan, auctions and more. Tickets for the event are $75 per person and will be sold only in advance online and at Bayside's weekend worship services.
In addition to ticket sales, the groups hope to raise additional funds through the auctions and the sale of art created onsite by nationally recognized performance artist David Garibaldi. Garibaldi, who creates 6 foot portraits of pop icons, celebrities, and more in just minutes to music, will craft three paintings during the evening that will be auctioned to benefit the fundraiser. Garibaldi's dynamic show, "Rhythm and Hue" is extremely versatile and has been used to entertain audiences of all ages as well as help raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for various charities.
Proceeds from the evening will go to World Vision International and Covenant World Relief. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization that has worked in Japan for more than two decades and responded to the Kobe earthquake in 1995 with some 75 staff in Tokyo. They have deployed an assessment team to northern Japan from Tokyo led by a Japanese emergency response manager with experience in Haiti, Pakistan, Myanmar and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Covenant World Relief is the humanitarian aid ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. They participate in God's transforming mission in the world through disaster relief and community development, and will be working in partnership with the local Japan Covenant Church to meet the needs of those affected by this tragedy.
For more information, to buy tickets or make a donation, visit www.baysideonline.com or call (916) 791-1244.
