Day of Caring is an ongoing effort to feed the hungry and homeless in our community. Their main fundraising event is an annual Pancake Brunch. The Pancake Brunch, held on the last Sunday in each February, is in fact many brunches held at various locations around the tri-state area.

Established in 1991 by Janaki Venkayya, Day of Caring is a grass roots organization made up of volunteers committed to increasing personal awareness and involvement toward confronting the ever-increasing national plight of hunger and homelessness.

From the first pancake brunch with 12 locations, to the 34 sites participating this year, Day of Caring is continually growing. As in the past, churches, community organizations, and public foundations host, prepare, and serve the annual pancake brunch. The hope this year is to raise $30,000 for local emergency hunger and housing coalitions. Many new sites have been added. In addition to Montgomery County and the City of Dayton, Greene, Preble and Clark counties are also involved. Sites in Cincinnati and Richmond, Ind., are also participating with money from ticket sales going back to the county in which they were raised.

Venkayya said the “Day of Caring” committee is now focused on increasing volunteers, especially younger people. More than 1,000 volunteers help out. During the past 13 years, the project has received about $1 million of in-kind donations — from paper napkins and coffee to orange juice and plastic utensils.

In philosophy, Day of Caring is similar to Thanksgiving, where one day a year we come together as a nation to give thanks for our good fortune. Likewise, Day of Caring, through its ever increasing number of volunteers, sets aside one day – the last Sunday in February – where we, the community, can come together to help our less fortunate neighbors.

A variety of churches and service organizations host a Pancake Brunch and all proceeds from these Brunches benefit the local community’s Hunger and Housing Coalitions. Cost of the brunch is $6 for an adult, $4 for seniors and children. we

At the House of Bread, thanks to Merrill Lynch, a free breakfast will be served. A complete list of brunch sites and the times they will operate can be found at the Day of Caring web site. For more information, call (937) 320-1687.

Financial support comes from various businesses and individuals through either underwriting of a Brunch site’s expenses or in-kind donations.

2010 Underwriters