Second Annual Jefferson City Pancake Breakfast
We welcomed March with our second annual Jefferson City Pancake breakfast presented by Rusty Drewing Automotive, held at Memorial Baptist Church!
The morning was filled with great food—thanks to IHOP Jefferson City—along with warm conversations and a room full of people who care deeply about children in foster care. While this marked the second annual breakfast in Jefferson City, the tradition itself has deep roots. Pancake Breakfasts first began in May of 1997 at Memorial Baptist Church in Columbia.
“The Pancake Breakfast began because a small group at Memorial Baptist wanted to do something to support the ministry. ,” said Development Director Joe Knight. “Little did we know, that would turn into a 22-year tradition.”
When COVID-19 shut down that tradition in 2020, we weren’t sure if we would host another Pancake Breakfast. Now, as Coyote Hill continues expanding its support for foster families across mid-Missouri, the event has found a new home in Jefferson City, helping raise awareness and rallying support throughout Cole and Callaway counties.
Since expanding into the Jefferson City area in 2021, Coyote Hill has licensed 41 foster families across Cole and Callaway counties, working to strengthen the support system for children in foster care and the families who care for them.
For Kristin Milligan, Jefferson City Development Manager, the heart of the morning was found in the community that gathered together.
“My favorite part was definitely the community aspect,” Milligan shared. “None of it would have been possible without the whole Jefferson City community coming together to support the event—from Memorial Baptist Church graciously allowing us to use their facilities, to our wonderful sponsors, and those who donated their time, talent, and effort to help set up, lead, and clean up. It really does take a village, and I am so grateful to every single individual and organization who laid their ‘yes’ on the table, even in some small way.”
The event also created space for foster families to enjoy the morning together. One moment that captured the spirit of the breakfast was watching families gather around the photo booth.
“I absolutely adored that foster families used the photo booth,” Milligan said. “We wanted to make sure that children and adults had a fun way to remember the event, and I hope they were able to use it as an opportunity to capture a moment in time where they felt seen, heard, and supported.”
Beyond the pancakes and photos, gatherings like this play an important role in strengthening support for foster families.
“I believe any time we’re able to celebrate the wonderful and tireless work that foster parents do—all the invisible labor that the average public does not think about—is a win,” Milligan explained. “It’s easy to focus on our own small part of the world and lose sight of all the ways we can support and encourage one another. Eating a meal together is such a sacred way to build relationships, and I’m grateful we were able to provide an opportunity to do so for such an important cause.”
Thanks to generous sponsors like Rusty Drewing Automotive and Seaver and Forck CPAs, and many other community partners, the $9,035 raised through the Jefferson City Pancake Breakfast will directly support Coyote Hill’s work in the Capital City. These resources help recruit, train, and support foster families while working to fill critical gaps in the foster care system.
“The support from this event allows us to continue licensing more foster parents within Cole County and surrounding areas to meet the needs of foster children,” Milligan said. “It also allows our Family Advocates to walk alongside our foster families in meaningful ways that create lasting impact for foster children, foster parents, and biological families too.”
What began nearly three decades ago with one small church group has grown into a tradition of community and care. And as Jefferson City continues to rally around children and families in foster care, mornings like this remind us of the power of coming together around a shared table.
Because every child deserves a safe place to be a child.
Thank you to our generous sponsors of this event!
