'Get Behind The Vest' Pancake Breakfast Date Set

CHICAGO (BEVERLY) — The "Get Behind The Vest" pancake breakfast in late February has turned into one of the neighborhood's most popular winter events, drawing a record 2,000 attendees in its fifth year in 2019. This year, just as large a turnout is expected when St. John Fisher School's Kane Hall hosts the breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Feb. 23.

Admission is $5 per person or $25 for families, according to a news release. All money raised will be donated to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s Get Behind the Vest initiative, which actively raises funds to replace bullet proof vests for Chicago police officers.

19th Ward Ald. Matt O’Shea will again host the event. He's the one who created the yearly fundraiser that got its start in 2015.

“The men and women in the Chicago Police Department leave their families and loved ones every day to protect our community, putting themselves in dangerous situations on a daily basis,” O’Shea said. “Now more than ever, we need to do all that we can to help protect those who protect us.”

A LOOK BACK: 10,000 Pancakes Served At 2018 'Get Behind The Vest' Breakfast

Bullet proof vests need to be replaced every five years, at a cost to police officers of about $650, a news release states. Over the past six years, the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation has replaced over 9,000 outdated bullet proof vests. Currently, there are 4,200 vests that are eligible to be replaced.

In five years, O'Shea has led a local effort to raise more than $150,000 for the initiative to replace the vests. In addition to the pancake breakfast, he works with local schools to organize "dress down days" and in years past has held another yearly event in which he pumped gas for customers at the Kean Bros. gas station on 111th Street to raise more money for the effort.

In last year's pancake breakfast alone, $34,000 was raised.

That's also thanks to the Original Pancake House — Beverly, whose longtime owners the Harrigan family donate all the pancake batter, condiments and cooking supplies.