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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

CHELSEA – In what has become a yearly staple, families were able to enjoy a fresh stack of homemade pancakes while also helping fund Chelsea youth during the return of the Kiwanis Club of Chelsea’s Pancake Day.

The Kiwanis Club of Chelsea held its annual pancake breakfast fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Chelsea Community Center from 8 a.m. to noon. During the breakfast, attendees were able to help themselves to a fresh stack of buttered pancakes, sausage, coffee or juice—all for just $5.

“(The) pancake breakfast is a tradition in Kiwanis and is one of several fundraisers that many clubs do,” said Robbie Hayes, vice president of the Kiwanis Club of Chelsea.

Last year’s edition of the event was able to raise more than $13,000 for children’s charities and this year’s event was even bigger.

“It’s grown every year,” Hayes said. “This year, we’re maybe approaching $16,000 in the four hours of the pancake breakfast that we can put back into different children’s programs here in the community.”

In addition to the homemade cakes, attendees were also able to add on toppings from Jeremiah’s Italian Ice and enjoy coffee from Scooter’s Coffee.

In order to the service the many customers over the event’s duration, the club was assisted by members of the Chelsea High School Key Club.

“The Key Club at the high school is over 100 members strong and the Key Club is providing us all these young ladies and men who are working to help us pull this off as a club,” Hayes said.

The Kiwanis Club of Chelsea conducts multiple fundraisers throughout the year to raise funds for organizations that positively impact children, including King’s Home, Compact 2020 of Shelby County, Shelby County Art’s Council, Children’s of Alabama, Adaptive Aquatics Shelby, local schools and more.

“The slogan of Kiwanis is ‘Serving the children of the world,’” Hayes said. “That’s our direction, we want to always be focused on the kids.”

The pancake breakfast charity work was made possible thanks to the donations of 65 local sponsors which include American Family Care, Station 31 Kitchen, Coosa Pines Federal Credit Union and many more.

“The Chelsea Kiwanis Club is a club that is composed of individuals in the Chelsea community and surrounding areas,” Hayes said. “It is business owners, homemakers, stay-at-home moms, employees in the local area, retirees, anyone who wants to contribute back to the community in some way through different organizations, the different fundraisers that we do and charities that we’ve taken on.”

Those interested in the Kiwanis organization’s mission of helping children can join the Kiwanis Club of Chelsea by becoming a member. Membership dues are $160 per year and the club meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 11:45 a.m. in the Chelsea Community Center.

“It is just an amazing organization that always finds ways to give every penny that we raise back to the community in some way or another,” Hayes said.

The Kiwanis Club of Chelsea’s next fundraising event will be the Fire at the Foothills BBQ cooking competition on Saturday, April 6 from 1-4 p.m. at the Chelsea Community Center.