BY MAGGIE BEAMGUARD
Insider Editor
Kiwanis Club of Seven Lakes members fired up their griddles for their Pancake Breakfast on Sept. 30 for the first time since 2019.
The club’s fundraiser, with a 40-year history, was put on the back burner during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reignited event was hosted by West End United Methodist Church. Previous breakfasts were held at West End Elementary School.
WEUMC’s new commercial kitchen, installed as part of a fellowship hall renovation during the pandemic, provided a convenient space for preparation and cooking.
The venue change also meant that pancake connoisseurs could enjoy their flapjacks from adult-sized chairs rather than the small seats built for little bottoms at the elementary school.
Event organizer George Norman believes the club will return to WEUMC for the breakfast in the future.
“We had so many comments from people about how pleasant it was sitting in a regular chair,” he said. “All in all I think it went off really well. We got a lot of praise. And the pancakes are always good.”
The turnout of about 265 was lower than past years when up to 450 folks would come for their fill. Norman believes this smaller response can be attributed to the event being reestablished after its three-year hiatus. Another factor he suspects may be the changing demographics of Seven Lakes, which has seen an influx of younger families managing full-to-the-brim weekends.
Five students and a teacher from the Circle K Kiwanis program at Sandhills Community College volunteered alongside the Seven Lakes Kiwanis Club members.
“We had tremendous help from all the Kiwanians,” said Norman. “Everybody showed up on Saturday that was supposed to be there. It went very well.”
By their next event, Norman anticipates they will have worked through the couple of kinks they experienced including having ample cooking surfaces to keep up with demand and managing the flow of patrons.
The proceeds from this pancake breakfast will go into the general till to be ultimately used to support children in Moore County. West End Elementary School, West Pine Middle School, Elise Middle School in Robbins School and the North Moore Resource Center have previously benefited from the support of the club.
In addition to the chance to improve the lives of children through fundraising, Norman believes it is important for its function in the community as one of the few events in the Seven Lakes/West End area that includes everyone.
He greeted many new people and young families on the morning of the breakfast. “I think it’s important for community involvement and I think it’s a social event for people.”
Norman hopes everyone will come out next time. “We thank the community for supporting us and coming to the pancake breakfast,” he said. “We’d love to have you.”
Contact Maggie Beamguard at maggie@thepilot.com.
