What do you do with 12 cases of pancake mix, 300 pounds of sausage, 10 pounds of coffee, 60 pounds of butter and 12 cases of syrup?

You have the 51st annual Pancake Day at Clanton First United Methodist Church, of course!

The Methodist Men have started warming up their spatulas, and this year they have a half-century of experience under their belts.

Not to mention they also use 350 cartons of orange drink, 150 half-pints of chocolate milk, 350 half-pints of white milk, and at least 250 take-out boxes.

“It’s the community relations and the fellowship that we really enjoy,” Jim Payton said.

“It’s a casual day, and everybody wants to come enjoy pancakes and conversation, and meet people we haven’t seen in a while.”

But beyond that, there is yet another level to this annual tradition. It’s the people and groups that benefit from the ticket sales. These include Relay for Life, Habitat for Humanity, the Arthritis Foundation, Dixie Youth Baseball, Good Shepherd Ministries, and many more.

The men also use the money for local mission projects, such as building wheelchair ramps for elderly citizens. Another portion goes to a children’s school in the country of Haiti.

“Every bit of it goes to the Methodist Men’s mission work, local and foreign,” Payton said.

They have a lot of help, too. Alaga Whitfield of Montgomery donates the 12 cases of syrup for Pancake Day. For several years, Wayne Industries has furnished each of their employees with a ticket.

“Those contributions make us have more money available in the community work that we do,” Payton said.

Then there are the men themselves who go out and sell the tickets, and the youth of the church who help serve.

Last year they served a record crowd of 1,260.

“We want to top it again,” Dan Nolen said.

Pancake Day is Saturday, Feb. 14 from 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Helen Parrish Activity Center located behind the main church building on Ninth Street.

Tickets are $4 and are good for all you can eat.

To purchase a ticket, see a Methodist Men member or call the church office at 755-0490.