A West Seattle tradition since May of 1929, the Kiwanis Club is holding their annual community breakfast this morning (Dec. 4th) with the help of Boy Scout troop 284 and Key Club members from local high schools.

The main goal of the event is to collect toys for Toys for Tots and “a chance to renew long-standing friendships and to make new ones,” according to the event press release.

“This is a big thing here, this is our big fundraiser,” said Kiwanis member Ken Norton, who has been with Kiwanis for 27 years and is the past Dean of Students at Seattle Lutheran High School. “The main focus of Kiwanis is kids.”

“When I began in this club we didn’t have the help of the scouts and since that time it has grown just tremendously,” Norton said. “They provide a tremendous amount of help.”

Pancakes, ham, orange juice and coffee are being served at a rapid rate, and the pancakes come from a “treasured” recipe of long-time Kiwanis member Sig Staaksted.

Husband and wife Randy and Marie Guzzardo were in attendance as parents of a scout from Troop 284, which is in its 95th year (the third oldest continuous scout troop in the U.S.), according to Marie.

“When you look around here and you see all the different things going on that the community supports and the Kiwanis promote, and I know that for 35 years they have supported our scout group, this community backs us so this is one of our ways to give back to the community and to the Kiwanis,” Randy said.

“It’s community reaching out to others in the community through the Kiwanis,” he added.

A sea of khaki shirts sped around the dining hall at the Masonic Building at 4736 40th Ave s.w. as boy scouts served West Seattleites hungry for a plate of pancakes and an opportunity to help out Toys for Tots.

“It puts a warm feeling in my heart because I love to give back to community,” said boy scout Sam Louie.

Tickets for the community breakfast are $6 per adult/$3 per child at the door.