Wapakoneta Rotary holding carryout-only Pancake Day
When the calendar flips to October next week, the Wapakoneta Rotary Club will be ready to welcome in the month with pancakes.
The 59th annual Rotary Pancake Day will be held Oct. 1 in almost the same fashion as it has for the previous 58 years — with one small exception.
“We won’t be dining in,” said Josh Little, club president and chairman of the event. “Pancake Day, like most other local events, has been modified to comply with COVID-19 concert.”
The event will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and distributed through the drive-thru window. Rotarians also offer
delivery of large orders to businesses during the lunch hours.
The menu is traditional — three pancakes, two Walter & Sons Inc. sausage links, syrup and white or chocolate milk. Coffe Amor will also be on hand for those who’d prefer a cup of coffee to go.
“We’re no different than any of the service clubs whose fundraising efforts have been affected by the coronavirus crisis,” Little said. “It’s
important to us to be able to hold pancake day because we use those funds for our scholarship program.”
Each year the Rotary Club sponsors at least three scholarships for graduating Wapakoneta High School seniors. The amount given away each year is determined by the pancake day sales.
“We give anywhere from $5,000 to $8,000 in scholarships each year,” Little said. “This is a meaningful project for our club.”
Little emphasized Rotarians will be practicing COVID-19-appropriate
measures to ensure a safe meal is prepared. Working with the Auglaize County Health Department, he said masks and gloves will be worn during all stages of meal preparation and packaging, work surfaces will be cleaned regularly and hand washing will be frequent.
The generosity of the Wapakoneta community is not lost on Rotarians. Little said area residents have always supported Pancake Day and he’s pleased the club can continue the tradition.
“Fifty-nine years is a long time for anything,” Little said, “and we didn’t want to break our streak. I’ll just say thank you in advance for supporting our scholarship fundraiser. Without the community, this would not be possible.”
Tickets are $8 per meal; 50% of the ticket is tax-deductible. Tickets can be purchased the day of the event or in advance by contacting a Rotarian. To arrange for a delivery of 10 meals or more, call 567356-6484. Pancakes are served from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.