Hundreds Of Pancakes Served At Ald. Matt O'Shea's Annual Breakfast To Raise Money For Police Officers' Protective Vests
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Hundreds of pancakes were served Sunday to buy protective vests for Chicago Police officers, at Ald. Matt O'Shea's seventh annual Get Behind the Vest Pancake Breakfast.
This year, it was a drive-through and delivery event because of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 100 volunteers gathered Sunday morning at St. John Fisher School, at 10200 S. Washtenaw Ave. in the Beverly neighborhood.
They made, packaged, and delivered more than 900 pancake and sausage breakfasts.
Officers have to replace worn vests out of their own pockets at a cost of around $2,000.
O'Shea (19th) talked about the officers' importance to the city.
"Mothers and fathers leave their home every day – putting themselves on the line. They're the backbone of our communities," he said. "So I stand with them, today and every day."
Police Supt. David Brown stopped by to flip pancakes and deliver breakfasts to Gold Star Families – the relatives of fallen officers.
Over the last six years, O'Shea's pancake breakfasts have donated more than $183,000 to Get Behind the Vest, funding the replacement of more than 11,000 vests.