Pancakes For Dinner

I don’t eat sugar. But one day this year, as my community was winding down post elections, I made an exception. Pancakes and fully-leaded syrup and maple sausage were consumed. Regrets were felt, but not from supporting an excellent cause.

Kiwanis is a global organization dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time.

I would not be surprised if you’ve never heard of Kiwanis. I can tell you, however, that it is quite likely children in your community have benefited from one or more of their programs. As of 3 years ago, I didn’t even know this organization existed, but last Tuesday, I was sweating and working helping them raise money because I trust they make a positive impact. Look it up!

Personally, I don’t like pancakes. I met my husband at IHOP, which was my first real job, and I got so tired of eating there that we have only visited an IHOP a few times in our 13 years together. My mom makes pretty good pancakes, according to review, but I’ve never really been a fan. Pancakes are like sweet bread, somewhere between cake and artisan loaf in texture, and if they’re not cooked perfectly, they get soggy in my mouth, and must be ejected immediately.

In Central Texas, our club holds an annual Pancake Supper. They’ve been doing this for 67 years, and the grill-men have developed their craft quite well in that time. Kiwanis Club of Brownwood rents out our local coliseum, and brings in huge gas-powered grills. Volunteers slave over them for hours. Boy Scouts run batter back and forth between grills. Girl Scouts deliver sausage and fresh pancakes to tables and take-out lines. Local grocers make tea and coffee. It’s hard to describe how the whole shebang operates so chaotic-ly yet so smoothly. Smoke fills the air. Syrup flies, and everything smells like butter! Okay, not really. But it really is an awesome event. 

Our first year in Brownwood, I was invited to the supper but I didn’t even know that Kiwanis was the host. We attended, ate pancakes (this was pre-no sugar, of course) and went home. The following year, our son, now a proud scout, helped work the supper. It was his first real project, and I was so proud to see him involved. 

By this time last year, I was a Kiwanis member myself (my aunt and uncles are all members, so it seemed fitting) and I was assigned to the take-out line. My husband and I poured sticky, disgusting syrup mess into tiny take-out plastic containers. It was awful. I mean, we laughed and it technically operated well, but it was so gross. I’m not good at handling sticky things. I have four children, and if I can outsource handling sticky items, I will, every single time. A sweet friend of mine, Nancy, really appreciated us helping her, and it ignited in me a desire to be more involved.

Kiwanis is in public schools, helping students achieve goals through reading programs, awards programs, lunches and school supplies donations and more. We help disabled adults through our Aktion program. We build ramps. We donate money to help vaccinate children and mothers in foreign countries. And every year, Kiwanis adds more projects and finds more ways to help out. 

My dad always had a motto: “You do the best that you can do, and that’s the best that you can do.” The implied rest of that statement is that you should be okay with your best and allow everyone else to be accepting of it, as well. 

I’m new to Kiwanis, but I did my best at the 67th Annual Pancake Supper. I worked take-out again with Nancy, but this time we had fancy prepackaged syrups (hallelujah!). We served over 580 plates. Total, the whole supper fed almost 2000, all you can eat! Every dollar raised (tickets were $6) goes back to the community. 

This isn’t exactly a plug for Kiwanis. However, I encourage you to find out if your community has a local club and investigate to see if you’d like to be a part and make an impact in your area.

This post is about pancakes. 

On November 5, 2019, I ate the first pancakes I’ve eaten in almost 2 years and they were absolutely fantastic. However, I did get sick from all the sugar. If you avoid sugar, like I have, be aware that when you eat it again, you will notice some strange things.

I could feel my heart. I could feel the blood moving through my veins. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to eat more or throw up. I had so much energy; I had trouble falling asleep. The next morning, I felt sluggish and had a headache. I drank lots of water and by evening, I felt fine.

Maybe next year, I’ll remember to use the sugar free syrup instead. 

Amanda was born and raised in East Houston. She's lived all over Texas, but decided to settle in Brownwood, right in the geographical center, after a tornado destroyed her home in Van. Amanda lives with her husband, 4 children and 2 black labs. She plays piano and guitar and sings at her local place of worship, where she also works with youth ages 8-18 and helped to start a local homeless shelter. "I'm passionate about people. God loves me when I don't feel worthy, so I put forth the effort to share his grace and love with others." -Amanda M

Amanda was born and raised in East Houston. She's lived all over Texas, but decided to settle in Brownwood, right in the geographical center, after a tornado destroyed her home in Van. Amanda lives with her husband, 4 children and 2 black labs. She plays piano and guitar and sings at her local place of worship, where she also works with youth ages 8-18 and helped to start a local homeless shelter. "I'm passionate about people. God loves me when I don't feel worthy, so I put forth the effort to share his grace and love with others." -Amanda M

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