St. Pat pancake breakfast to benefit Whidbey’s seniors

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 10, 2026

May the luck of the Irish — and plenty of delicious pancakes — be with you this St. Patrick’s Day.

Island Senior Resources’ St. Patrick’s Day pancake breakfast returns from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, March 14 at its Bayview Center in Langley. Debbie Metz, a member of the nonprofit’s nutrition department, explained that donations are welcome, but the main goal of the event is to raise awareness in the community about the essential services the nonprofit provides.

Island Senior Resources is a private nonprofit serving seniors and adults with disabilities in Island County for the last 52 years.

The nonprofit’s two annual pancake breakfasts — one for St. Patrick’s Day and one for Halloween — have fed community members since 2009. Rotary Club of Whidbey Westside members, as well as members of a Rotary youth program, help out with the event.

Metz said 150-200 attendees are expected at the upcoming breakfast, and added that all in the community are invited. Island Senior Resources served 120 people at its last event.

Meals on Wheels is the only organization delivering meals to doorsteps on both Whidbey and Camano Islands. As many meal recipients are home-bound and isolated, Metz explained, they benefit from the socialization deliveries provide as much as the nutrition. Meals are delivered thrice weekly and can serve as a “check-in” with recipients if need be, she added.

“Additionally, good nutrition reduces Emergency Department visits, hospitalizations, and transitions to long-term care facilities,” Metz added.

As a member of the Meals on Wheels America program, Island Senior Resources prepares meals in its own kitchens, and relies on volunteers to deliver them across Whidbey and Camano. According to a report from November, Island Senior Resources served more than 120,000 meals total in 2024, with 100,269 delivered through Meals on Wheels to at least 570 clients.

Donations are vital to the successful delivery of those meals. The report states that 28.7% of funding in 2024 came from the federal government, and contributions received nearly matched that. State funding accounted for 12.9% of funding that year, and from the county, 8.9%. Programs and services amounted to 81% of expenses in 2024.

Fifty-one percent of revenue sources originated from the community that year, $630,000 of which the nonprofit received through individual donations. Metz did not specify an explicit fundraising goal for this weekend’s pancake breakfast.

“We simply ask for fair donations. Donations, small or large, will help our Meals on Wheels program to continue by helping to meet our rising costs,” she said.