Crowd turns out for breakfast to raise funds for Chicago Police officers' bulletproof vests
Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) on Sunday hosted his 11th annual Get Behind the Vest Pancake Breakfast.
The tasty tradition raises funds to buy Chicago Police officers bulletproof vests.
It was a full house for the occasion Sunday morning at St. John Fisher School, at 10200 S. Washtenaw Ave. in the Beverly neighborhood.
The event brought families, neighbors, and police Supt. Larry Snelling all together.
For $5 per person, or $25 for families, hungry attendees got all they could eat of pancakes, sausages, and more — donated by the Harrigan family of the Original Pancake House Beverly.
On average, bulletproof vests need to be replaced every five years. Officers get their first one free, but they have to pay for future ones — to the tune of about $500 each.
Over the years, the pancake breakfast has raised more than $600,000 for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation's Get Behind the Vest initiative.
