Pancakes funding internet hotspots, island

By Adam Strunk

Pancakes will go on sale next week in Hesston and proceeds will go to help two community causes.

The annual pancake feed by the Hesston Lions Club will take place from 6 a.m.-1 p.m., Jan. 29, at Hesston Middle School. There will be pancakes, eggs, sausages and a gluten-free pancake option.

“The way we operate is everybody is welcome,” John Buller of the Hesston Lions Club said. “There is no set price. People can have as many pancakes and eggs and sausages as they want.”

The club does ask for a donation. This year, that donation will go toward buying internet hotspots for the Hesston Public Library and for renovating the island at Dyck Arboretum.

“We always pick out one or two organizations in the community we highlight to give the lion’s share of the proceeds to,” Buller said. “Each year, we look at what’s going to benefit the most people. That’s what we’re looking for and what’s going to benefit youth.”

Jackie Nelson, director of the Hesston Public Library, said the internet hot spots are one of the most checked-out items the library has.

“It benefits people without the means to access the internet,” she said of the nine hotspots the library has. “They’re great when you go on vacation if you want to keep the kids entertained.”

Nelson said last year, the hotspots were checked out 339 times. A month of internet service for the hotspots costs $265. She said the library currently wants to increase the number of hotspots to 12. The Lions Club Donation should help the library do that.

“One thousand dollars is what it will take to get us 3-4 hot spots for one year,” she said. “They’re pricey to keep running. The Lions are doing this as a huge favor to us.”

The other project the pancake feed will fund will help improve is Dyck Arboretum.

“They want to renovate the island because through years of vandalism, it’s gone downhill,” Buller said.

Buller said the pancake feed is a good way to support the community and see your neighbors and worth attending.

“They should come out because that’s where they’ll meet their friends,” he said. “We’ll have people sit there for two hours visiting with friends. And it’s a way to help us and we can help other projects in town.”

For those unable to attend but still wanting to donate, checks can be made out to the Hesston Lions Club, P.O. Box 461, Hesston, Kan.

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