It takes a village: Many cooks make breakfast a success
By Lori Ruhlman
Skaneateles Rotary
Lee Hudson was a teenager when he started delivering eggs to the Skaneateles Rotary Club’s annual Father’s Day Pancake Breakfast.
Now, at 55, he is the owner of Hudson Egg Farms in Elbridge, and has evolved right along with the breakfast tradition. He has worked with Rotarians for decades, and has watched the “passing of the torch” through a generation. He still enjoys seeing and working with Dana Coye, a Rotarian who helped found the pancake breakfast 50 years ago.
The number of eggs has grown from about 360 dozen eggs in those early years to more than 1,000 dozen in the highest attended years.
“Hudson’s biggest annual donation is the use of one of their refrigerated trucks,” said Rotarian Bill Buterbaugh, who now does the ordering of supplies each year. “The refrigerated truck is a key component to executing the pancake breakfast cost effectively. It is used to keep our juice, milk, eggs, and sausage at health standards temperature until we use them.”
Hudson said that when regulations required refrigeration, it was natural for his company to donate the use of a truck. “We kind of like to keep it low key,” he said. “We just really like to support the good efforts of the Rotary and what they do locally, nationally and internationally,” he said.
Hudson’s is just one of many suppliers that help make the breakfast more cost efficient.
Other main vendors who supply and donate include:
Doug’s Fish Fry. Doug’s donates the biodegradable plates that are used, keeping the costs down and making the breakfast more environmentally friendly.
Sysco. Many food and dry goods supplies are purchased from Sysco, which then donates several of the 40+ cases of sausages used at the breakfast. “Additionally, they have helped us in converting to more environmentally-friendly materials such as the coffee and juice cups we now use instead of plastic or Styrofoam,” Buterbaugh said.
Byrne Dairy supplies all of the orange juice and milk, and has for many years donated a chiller unit that helps to keep these products cold and meeting required health standards.
Sherwood Inns & Appetites has always provided the towels Rotarians use to wash and dry all of the utensils, saving the cost of rental and/or laundering.
Other supports include the Boy Scouts and the Fire Department and many many community volunteers.
All savings made because of suppliers and volunteers result in greater net proceeds at the breakfast. And the proceeds go right into the community through the club’s Worthy Cause programs
If you go
Fathers Day Pancake Breakfast Sunday, June 17
The 50th Annual Father’s Day Pancake Breakfast is at the Allyn Arena Sunday June 17, from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with special festivities to celebrate the anniversary.
The Father’s Day Pancake Breakfast is an annual family/community event serving up all-you-can-eat pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages, orange juice, milk and coffee. Guests enjoy listening to the community band while having a great time with dad, family members and friends. There will be special surprise appearances this year as Skaneateles celebrates the 50th year of the breakfast.
Each year, approximately $12,000 is donated to community programs such as Youth Exchange, several food pantries and local charities. Funds also support many on-going community service projects and improvements like the Rotary Pavilion constructed at the Town Conservation Area, the renovations of the public restrooms under the park gazebo, and the updated ball field backstop, fences and playgound at Austin Park.
Tickets may be purchased from any Rotarian, at TOPS, M&T Bank and other local merchants, or at the door. Adults, $7; Children 12 and under $4; and 5 and under free.
