A pancake breakfast was held on Mother’s Day, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Elkford Community Conference Centre with all proceeds of the event going to support the Fort McMurray relief efforts.
“The tragedy in Fort McMurray is sad, terrifying, and the loss is astronomical, both physical and personal - our hearts go out to the families,” said Fundraising Coordinator, Josh Elvin. “There are people who live in the Elk Valley that work in Fort McMurray, are from there, [and] have family there. The motivation was simple.”
Elvin was not alone in the coordination efforts for the fundraiser. On May 5, Elvin, Kris Wilde, Marianne Stone and Debbie Tomich met at the Elkford Fire Hall to brainstorm fundraising options.
“It was decided that a pancake breakfast is the best way to bring people of the Elk Valley together to raise money for Fort McMurray. The planning took off, details worked out, and an army of volunteers were formed,” said Elvin.
According to Elvin, 38 volunteers helped serve the 500 people from the Elk Valley.
“The turn-out was phenomenal. There was approximately 1000 pancakes, 46 pounds of bacon, 55 lbs of sausage, and 45 dozen eggs that fed approximately 500 people. As a result, the Elk Valley Community raised $8642.45 through cash donations and donations in kind,” he said.
When asked if there was a secret to making and serving more than 1000 pancakes in three hours, Elvin believes it was “having a solid team working together, smiling, having fun, and working hard.”
The event was filled with positivity and had some residents of Fort McMurray in attendance.
“The people were happy, smiling, and said so many positive comments,” he said. “I met a family who lost everything. They stood up from their table, began crying, hugged me, and shook my hand. Their gratitude was obvious.”