O'Shea Flaps Jacks at 'Get Behind the Vest' Pancake Breakfast

CHICAGO, IL -- Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) will host his third annual pancake breakfast benefiting the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s “Get Behind the Vest” initiative, on Sunday, Feb. 26, at St. John Fisher School, 10200 S. Washtenaw Ave. The breakfast runs from 8 a.m. to noon. Admission is $5 per person or $25 for families.

O’Shea began hosting the pancake breakfast in 2015, and together with school fundraisers throughout the Beverly, Mount Greenwood and Morgan Park community, has raised over $53,000 for the Get Behind the Vest initiative.

In addition to the pancake breakfast, Ald. O’Shea will once again be working with local schools to organize “dress down days” and other student-based fundraisers to raise additional funds for bullet resistant vests.

“Police officers around the country put their lives on the line each and every day to keep citizen safe, and we want to ensure that our Chicago police officers return home to their families at the end of each shift,” O’Shea said. “We appreciate the dangerous work of Chicago police officers, and want to protect those who protect us. Through the pancake breakfast and various school events, I hope to raise even more dollars than in years past to protect our officers.”

Bullet resistant vests need to be replaced every five years, at a cost to police officers of about $500 or more. Over the past three years, the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation has replaced thousands of outdated bullet-resistant vests currently in use by Chicago oolice Officers. The organization now works to provide an additional 500 vests per year to help ensure the safety of our officers.

The pancake breakfast is generously supported and co-hosted by the Original Pancake House in Beverly. All pancake batter, condiments and cooking supplies will be donated by the Harrigan Family, who have operated the Original Pancake House for more than fifty years.

The pancake breakfast will also be co-hosted by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, 19th Ward Youth Foundation, Good Guy’s Apples and Sauce, Beverly Area Planning Association, Senator Bill Cunningham (18th District), State Rep. Fran Hurley (35th District) and Saint John Fisher Parish.

For more information on Ald. Matt O’Shea’s Pancake Breakfast, benefiting the Get Behind the Vest initiative, please call 773-238-8766. Visit the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation for information about the initiative.

~ Submitted by Maura Bruton