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01/24/2017 03:25 PMFree pancakes! Those words alone should provide enough draw for an event this Sunday, Jan. 29, but there’s another reason, too. Held on the last Sunday of every January, the Clinton Lions Club is hosting its annual Pancake Breakfast at Town Hall—and proceeds help fund Families Helping Families (FHF) community outreach programs.
The breakfast began 11 years ago, shortly after FHF was founded.
“Years ago we were just getting started as an organization,” said FHF President Miner Vincent, “and [the Lions] heard about us and asked if we would be receptive to them holding a breakfast for us. Obviously we were very happy as a struggling organization just getting off the ground to be a part of that, and it’s continued every year since.”
More than 200 people head to Town Hall each January for the breakfast—its success can be rather weather-dependent given the time of year.
“We never know if it’s going to be 20 degrees or 10 degrees below zero,” Vincent commented.
In the Green Room, Lions Club members serve up pancakes and bacon along with coffee, tea, and juice.
“They do all the work,” said Vincent. “They prepare all the pancakes and serve everyone that comes in, and we’re just very grateful for their efforts.”
Donations collected at the breakfast will support FHF’s five community outreach programs: the fresh produce program, Cans for Clinton, the energy assistance program, the Families to Families program, and the Clinton Kids Initiative. The programs do everything from ensuring that the Clinton Food Pantry stays well stocked during lean months to helping out local families in crisis who can’t afford costs such as car insurance or fuel to heat their homes.
“We also support the community garden in Clinton because they raise a lot of produce [for the food pantry],” said Vincent.
As part of its Clinton Kids Initiative, FHF works with Cheryl Church in the Clinton Social Services Department to help identify and relieve local children’s needs from warm clothing to back-to-school supplies and more.
“Last year we sponsored a summer lunch program for kids,” Vincent noted.
At the breakfast, FHF will also reveal its contribution to the Clinton community for the year 2017. Today, that “struggling organization” has become a stalwart supporter of Clinton’s families in need.
“Over the past three years we’ve been able to provide $40,000 or more assistance into the Clinton community,” said Vincent. “Our success is a reflection of how people in town view us. Without their help there would be no Families Helping Families. We’re very appreciative of everybody’s support.”
Finally, know that every dollar collected at the breakfast will go back into the community.
“Our overhead is very small,” Vincent emphasized. “One hundred percent of every donation that we receive from publicly raised money goes directly into those five programs. When somebody donates to us, in essence they’re helping out a family in town.”
The Clinton Lions Club hosts its 11th annual Pancake Breakfast to benefit Families Helping Families on Sunday, Jan. 29 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Green Room at Clinton Town Hall, 54 East Main Street. The event is free; donations will be accepted.