Flipping pancakes for a good cause

Eden Prairie Lions Club member Barbara Hanson is not only counting on a good time this Sunday but also counting heads. 

The Lions Club will host its annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser from 8 a.m. to noon on April 16 at True Friends Camp Eden Wood, 6350 Indian Chief Road, Eden Prairie.

Hanson, chair of the pancake committee, is excited to coordinate the event for the first time. 

“I’m the one herding the cats,” she said. “Everybody does everything and I’m relying heavily on people have done this many times before.”

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Hanson said this year’s event won’t be much different than past ones. The event will feature pancakes, sausages, and syrup, with The Original Pancake House donating the batter and syrup and the same sausages as last year. 

But, one of Hanson’s priorities is accurately determining the number of attendees. In previous years, the Lions Club has sold family tickets for the fundraiser, which has made it hard to know the exact number of people who attend. 

Hanson aims to count everyone who attends on Sunday.

“This is going to be the highest attendance ever counted (for the fundraiser) because it will be the only one ever counted,” she quipped.

Hanson has developed an appreciation for data due to her background in market research. “I’m going to be throwing out a lot of statistics to my committee after the end of this thing,” she said.

According to Hanson, the Pancake Breakfast is an excellent fundraising event that marks the beginning of spring.

It is the club’s first fundraiser of the year, with other events planned throughout the summer. These include Schooner Days on June 2-4, beer and wine service during the city’s Fourth of July festivities, a golf tournament in August, and the Corn Feed on Aug. 5.

All profits generated from those events go back to the community, with none of the funds being used for club operations, a Lions Club press release reports. The club’s entire operating budget is supported internally with funds from members.

Since July 1, 2019, the Eden Prairie Lions has donated more than $110,000 to various causes in the community, including public safety, scholarships, animal rescue, nature centers, and foundations for vision, hearing, and diabetes.

“It’s a fun time for a lot of the Lions and the community,” Hanson said of the Pancake Breakfast fundraiser. “I’m anxious to see how it all comes together. I’ve not even been in the kitchen for one of these things, so I’m going to be learning a lot next Sunday.”

Tickets for the event are $10 for a single and $25 for a family. Children under 5 can eat for free, and attendees can purchase tickets at the door using cash, checks, and credit cards. 

“Of course, it’s all you can eat,” she added.