Pancake breakfast kicks off Winter Carnival in Riverview, N.B.

On Saturday morning, the Bethel Presbyterian Church held a pancake breakfast to mark the first full day of festivities for Riverview’s annual Winter Carnival.

Pancake breakfast coordinator Geraldine Charters said the church always tries to get the first Saturday of the 10-day Carnival because they want to give back to the community in more ways than one.

Not only did people get to indulge in a home-cooked meal, complete with baked beans, sausages and pancakes, but the money raised will go back to help two local charities.

Both the West Riverview Elementary School Breakfast program and the Community Isthmus Program, which sees backpacks of food be sent home with kids in need over the weekends, were chosen this year.

“We chose the West Riverview Elementary School because we had a lady here that was very appreciative of the work that the teachers do there and she worked with them for a while, so we keep them in mind. They’re right next door to us, and the Isthmus Program that Val and her team are coordinating is something that we need in the community,” said Charters.

Saturday morning’s breakfast drew in a crowd that far exceeded organizers’ expectations.

Charters said that both organizations are grateful for the donations, but also for the support that can be seen throughout the community, especially at events like this one.

“I’m just so happy to see when people come together for a good cause. Of course, the music helps. Ivan and Vivian Hicks and our little group, Maple Sugar, everybody is taping their toes and singing. So it’s just heartwarming to see the amount of work and effort people have put in for the joy of it,” said Charters.

“We enjoy giving back and that’s the main thing, giving back to people because times are tough this time around. There’s lots of things in the world we can’t fix, but we can do this. We can care for people in our community.”

Charters said there was no monetary goal associated with the pancake breakfast, but any donation is expected to make a huge difference for both programs.

“Food insecurity is at an all time high and unfortunately it affects a lot of very young children under the age of 18. There’s about 40 per cent of young Canadians that are food insecure now,” said Isthmus co-coordinator, Valerie MacIntosh.

“With the amount of children that we’re feeding every week, our budget is well up above $85-90,000 every year to feed the children, so we run from September to June and that’s how much it takes. So it’s a massive, massive undertaking.”

The Isthmus program will send 10-12 non-perishable food items home with students in need in the Greater Moncton Area every Friday once a school administrator or a teacher has identified them.

MacIntosh said the organization relies on community, individual and corporate donations and that every little bit helps.

“It’s simply amazing to see that people in the community do recognize the need to help these children and help feed these children,” she said.

“I think it’s making a massive difference. Schools are reporting back to us that they’re seeing an increase in school attendance. Children are coming to school on Monday morning happier, ready to learn and then they’re obviously showing up on Friday to get their school bag, so we do know that it is making an impact on the community.”

The pancake breakfast was just one of 35 different Winter Carnival events that is taking place during the 10-day festival.

The main idea is to provide fun, affordable activities to help families get outside and celebrate winter in Riverview this February.

A full list of events can be found here.

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.