Packwood Lions Club pancake breakfast to benefit Merrill family

PACKWOOD — The Packwood Lions Club is planning to host a breakfast fundraiser on Saturday to help a local couple who lost their homes to a fire.

The breakfast will be held from 7-9 a.m. at the Packwood Community Room. It will feature pancakes, French toast and sausage. It is a freewill offering, with proceeds benefiting Packwood residents Kenny and Laura Merrill, whose house burned down a couple of months ago.

Packwood Lions Club President Frosty VanVoorst said the Lions Club holds pancake breakfasts two or three times per year.

“We always think January is a nice time to have a breakfast, and people like it,” he said. “This one is special because it’s a benefit for the Merrill family.”

VanVoorst said he knows the Merrill family well because Kenny was once a member of the Lions Club.

“I also had his kids in school when I taught at Pekin,” said VanVoorst, who taught math at Pekin from 1970-1998.

VanVoorst said he’s glad there were no injuries from the fire, but the house was a total loss. He said the Merrills are living with their children in Batavia while they look for a more permanent solution.

VanVoorst said the club has not set a fundraising goal for this pancake benefit, though special causes like this one tend to generate more money. He’s hoping the benefit will surpass $1,000.

The Packwood Lions Club’s previous pancake fundraisers have gone to causes such as scholarships for Pekin students and to the PMA/Reach group, which provides food and clothing to Pekin families in need. A few months ago, the club held a fundraiser for Packwood First Responders. In 2020, the club held a fundraiser for the Hertko Hollow Diabetes Camp for Kids.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com