Alderman Matt O’Shea of Chicago’s 19th Ward will host the 12th annual pancake breakfast on Sunday at St. John Fisher Elementary School. The event aims to raise funds for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s Get Behind the Vest initiative, which provides bulletproof vests to police officers.
Since its start in 2014, the pancake breakfast has collected more than $800,000 for the program. The foundation reports that bulletproof vests need replacement every five years and cost at least $500 each. It is up to individual officers to replace their own vests.
The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation has invested over $6.4 million since launching the initiative and has replaced nearly 15,000 vests for officers so far. Another 1,000 are scheduled for replacement in 2026. In recent years, the program was expanded to include K9 officers as well.
O’Shea highlighted the local support for police and fire personnel in his ward: “I think it’s a testament to the community we live in that so many people want to step up and support and protect our Chicago police officers,” he said. He added, “just as important as raising funds is letting our police officers and their families know that we care.”
O’Shea serves on both the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Advisory Board and the Chicago Police Chaplains Ministry Board of Directors.
The breakfast will run from 8 a.m. until noon at St. John Fisher, located at 10200 S. Washtenaw Ave., with admission set at $5 per person or $25 per family. The meal includes all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausage provided by Original Pancake House in Beverly.
O’Shea acknowledged support from local businesses: “They were all in from the start,” he said about the Harrigan Family, owners of Original Pancake House’s Beverly location who have donated food supplies each year. “We couldn’t do it without them. It’s a wonderful partnership.”
Additional fundraising activities are planned this week in Beverly and Mount Greenwood. Barraco’s Pizzeria (3047 W. 111th St.) will hold a Get Behind the Vest Night Thursday from 7-9 p.m., featuring guest bartenders such as O’Shea, police Chaplain Fr. Dan Brandt, Rep. Mary Gill, and restaurant owner Nick Barraco; all tips will go toward purchasing vests.
Until Friday, five cents per gallon sold at Shell Gas Station (2632 W. 111th St.) will be donated to Get Behind the Vest; two other local businesses — Beverly Bank & Trust and AthleteX — will match this amount for a total of fifteen cents per gallon benefiting the cause.
O’Shea plans to help pump gas and wash windshields at this station between 1-3 p.m. Friday.
On Saturday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., WGN Radio’s Home Sweet Home Chicago with David Hochberg will air a “Vest-A-Thon” alongside O’Shea to raise further funds for vest purchases by sharing stories from those affected by bulletproof vests within law enforcement communities; prizes will be available for donors during this segment.
More information about Sunday’s breakfast can be found on the 19th Ward website.
