Kiwanis Club cooking up annual pancake breakfast

The Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key is warming up the griddle for its annual Pancake and Sausage Breakfast.

This year’s event is from 7:30 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 30 at St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church.

Along with pancakes and sausage, breakfast lovers can enjoy unlimited coffee and other items. Club President Steve Branham said there will be plenty of blueberries on hand this year for blueberry pancakes. Last year, the demand for blueberry pancakes required an extra trip to Publix.

“We ran out was the problem, so this year, we’ll make sure we have plenty for everybody,” Bran-ham said.

At the event, raffle tickets will be sold for $10 each for a four-course dinner for 10 at The Lazy Lobster with wine and drinks. 

Raffle tickets can be bought at The Lazy Lobster and SunTrust Bank on Longboat Key. Additionally, there will be a 50/50 raffle.

The event benefits the club’s scholarship fund. Each year, the club awards scholarships to local students. In 2018, the club awarded 27 scholarships worth $5,000 each.

The club’s largest fundraising event for the fund is its annual Gourmet Lawn Party, which is typically held in early December. There was no Lawn Party in 2018, and the 2019 edition is set for Nov. 23.

Because the club is down a fundraising event, that makes this breakfast all the more important. Branham said the club wants to give out as many scholarships as possible in August.

“It’s just a matter of how much money is available, and also how the competition goes,” he said.

In addition to the breakfast, the SunCoast Blood Bank will also be on-site for those who would like to donate, which broadens the purpose of the event.

Tickets are $10 each and can be bought at the door or at The Lazy Lobster and SunTrust.

For information, those interested can contact Michael Garey at [email protected].