The second-annual Lindsay Police and Fire Appreciation Pancake Fundraiser shows more local support than last year for public safety departments
LINDSAY – Local businesses, organizations and city council members will be filling their bellies with pancakes while filling their public safety department with more funding.
The Lindsay Chamber of Commerce is holding its second annual Police and Fire Appreciation Pancake Fundraiser on Aug. 6. The event will take place from 7 a.m to 11 a.m. at the Lindsay Wellness Center. Plates cost $5 and include two pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage. Coffee will be donated by Starbucks and orange juice will be donated by Orange Works, two of the sponsors of the event. IHOP donated pancake mix for the event as well.
Mayor Ramona Caudillo, a retired law enforcement officer, helped establish the event last year. “It’s really important to me that the police and fire departments have the money they need to keep the city safe,” she said. “We started the fundraiser to show them that we support them because I believe they were not as supported as they should be.”
When Mayor Caudillo took office in 2020, the public safety department was in a budget deficit, and forced to continue a system where officers and firemen perform both roles. The departments are now separate again, thanks to fundraising efforts like pancake breakfasts, but more importantly budget adjustments.
During its first year, the event was sponsored by 37 local businesses. This year, 42 local businesses have stepped up to donate both funds and food for the event. “It’s really an eye opener how much the community is willing to give for our police officers and firemen,” Lindsay Chamber of Commerce President Roxanne Serna said.
“It’s just a way of us giving back and saying thank you for their hard work, determination and dedication to the city,” City Councilman Ramiro Serna said.
