Hungry to Help?

What’s round and brown and hard to turn down? Pancakes, of course, and the Centerville Rotary Club will be whipping them up by the thousands, for eat in or carryout, during its 13th Annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, October 26 from 7 a.m. until noon at Hithergreen Center, 5900 Hithergreen Drive.

Save your granola bars and yogurt for hectic weekday mornings. Nothing signals the start of a relaxing weekend like sitting down to a hot and hearty breakfast prepared by anyone but you. Tickets are $6 for all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, applesauce, coffee, orange juice and milk; children age 5 and younger eat free. You can purchase your tickets from any Centerville Rotarian or at the door on October 26.

What motivates a group of already busy people to spend months planning the breakfast and then flipping hotcakes for almost 1000 people on the fourth Saturday in October every year? “It’s simple”, said Centerville Rotary Club president Judy Budi. “We do it because it makes us feel good. Not only do we raise over $18,000 to help people who need us but we host a great community event that brings so many together for food and fun.”

“It’s all about community”, echoed Rotarian Carol Kennard, chair of the breakfast committee since 2002. “The Pancake Breakfast unites the Centerville-Washington Township community for a common purpose of helping people in our own neighborhood and around the world.”

While the Centerville Rotary Club rallies behind international service projects (a key initiative of Rotary International is polio eradication around the world) local community service projects are high priorities for the club that meets every Thursday at noon at Yankee Trace. A sample of area organizations that have received service grants from the club include Blue Star Mothers; The Castle; Centerville High School Spirit Chain; Centerville-Washington Diversity Council; Centerville-Washington Park District; Food 2 Go; Food 4 Tots; Hannah’s Treasure Chest; Hithergreen Center; Hospice of Dayton; House of Bread; Miami Valley Freedom Alliance; New Hope Pantry; Therapeutic Riding Institute and Washington-Centerville Public Library. The club has also supported important community events like the Americana Festival and Kalaman Memorial Golf Tournament. Education ranks high on the club’s project list, with Rotarians annually giving third graders a dictionary and fifth graders a thesaurus in Centerville and Washington Township. In addition, Centerville Rotary Club awards four college scholarships each year to graduating Alter and Centerville High School seniors. 

But financial assistance is not the only award club members give to the community. You may see Rotarians in their royal blue and gold shirts painting a house for Dayton Habitat for Humanity, mulching the gardens at Grant Park and Hithergreen Center, or building outdoor steps at The Castle.

So let this be the picture in your mind for October 26– you’re in your loosest pants, family and friends surround you, and you’re digging into the ooey gooey goodness of pancakes smothered in creamy butter and sweet maple syrup. And, as you revel in this simple act of community, you remember that someone, somewhere, is drinking clean water, eating fresh food, getting needed medical care, reading their first book, receiving a warm coat and shoes, or moving into a safe home…all because you were hungry to help. If that doesn't fill your body and soul to the brim we don’t know what will.

For information about supporting the Centerville Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast by purchasing tickets, sponsoring an ad or making a donation please contact Carol Kennard at 885-9530 or cgkennard@woh.rr.com.