The Arnold Rotary Club will continue its longstanding tradition of serving pancakes for a good cause on Saturday, March 4.
The annual fundraiser, which has been held for more than four decades, is set for 7-11 a.m. at the Family Life Center at the First Baptist Church of Arnold, 2012 Missouri State Road.
Tickets for the all-you-can-eat breakfast, which includes pancakes, sausage and beverages, cost $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 6 to 10. Children 5 and younger may eat for free. Tickets may be purchased at the door or from a Rotary Club member.
“It is our longest traditional fundraiser,” said Steve Smith, the club’s executive secretary. “We have had a pancake breakfast every year for more than 40 years.”
He said typically 200 to 300 people attend the annual breakfast, bringing in between $5,000 and $6,000.
Smith said he hopes this year’s breakfast is bigger than usual.
“I am hoping we can raise about $7,000,” he said. “We are going to have more advertising out there this year than in the past.”
Smith said each club member purchases $100 worth of tickets, and the members either give away their tickets or sell the tickets.
“This is an event that nearly every Rotarian is involved in,” he said. “The Rotarians enjoy it. It is a great time of fellowship for Rotary members and their friends and family. There is a great amount of satisfaction seeing our people eating together, serving and working for a good cause.”
Smith said proceeds from the breakfast are used to support various charitable organizations, like Brenden’s Friday Backpacks, which provides Jefferson County children in need with food to take home on the weekends; the Jefferson County Health Department’s Mobile Wellness Van; Pony Bird, a residential care facility with homes in Mapaville and De Soto for people with profound disabilities; BackStoppers and the Boy Scouts.
He said some of the proceeds are used to provide scholarships for area students and to send aid for children in other countries.
“In April, we help pack a container filled with dried food that goes to countries like Haiti and Ukraine for a program called Kids Against Hunger,” Smith said. “We have done that for the last two or three years. We have really tried to get involved with that a lot because it is so beneficial to help people with meals.”
For more information, go to the Arnold Rotary Club Facebook page.