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The sweet smell of maple syrup and sausage once again filled the Family Life Center at First Baptist Church on the Square for the annual Kiwanis Club Pancake Breakfast.  

The all-you-can-eat fundraiser breakfast has been held for more than a quarter century to support local youth. At this point the operation runs like a well-oiled machine, pumping out thousands of pancakes and sausages over a few hours.

The club even has a trio of large custom-made round griddles to efficiently fry up countless hotcakes each year.

Club President Eric Davenport said the Kiwanis host the pancake breakfast each year to help fund local youth education programs and student scholarships.

“I’ve been doing it since 2016, and each year we get better and better at it,” Davenport said, saying the goal is raising money for student scholarships.

“That’s the whole idea, for scholarships and stuff like that for students going to West Georgia Tech and LaGrange College,” he said.

Along with the scholarships, the Kiwanis support local Boy Scout programs and the Terrific Kids program, which rewards elementary school students for meeting goals.

Davenport said in recent years the event raised upwards of $14,000.

Most of the food is also donated by local businesses, so the proceeds go entirely to helping kids. With the recent closure of IHOP in LaGrange, the club did have to pay for and mix their own pancake batter this year. The restaurant had been donating the batter for the annual event.