According to Jolene Haffner, around 3.2 million children are seen at advocacy centers for abuse each year in America. In Minot, around 400 children a year are seen at advocacy centers due to abuse. For this reason, Haffner and Dough Thompson decided to host a Pancake Breakfast to raise funds and awareness for Project Ignite Light on June 8 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Armory.

Project Ignite Light started with a simple goal: Offering hope through a needed gift. They provide “Bags of Hope” to advocacy centers around the state to give to children as they are interviewed and examined for physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Each bag is filled with brand new, comfort items such as a blanket, pajamas, underwear, a book titled “You Are Special” by Max Lucado, and more.

The Pancake Breakfast will be a freewill offering with the simple goal of bring awareness to the community about PIL and show how the community can help abused children.

“Non-profits, such as PIL, can only continue to do their work if the community supports them financially and by volunteering,” said Haffner.

Pebbles Thompson, founder of PIL, said, “It takes a community to serve the community. One can’t do much but together we can do a lot.”

Haffner says that they will also be tying fleece blankets during the Pancake Breakfast to give to PIL for their Bags of Hope.

The Minot community has already come together to put the event on with the Minot Rural Fire Department helping Haffner and Thompson to organize the event from their own experience of hosting pancake breakfasts for 20 years. Pursuit Church offered volunteers to help support PIL on their Community Day and Minot First Church printed flyers.

“I hate to start listing people because I know I will forget some people. All this support goes to show Minot is amazing,” said Haffner.

The Pancake Breakfast is open to the entire public and everyone is welcome to help support Project Ignite Light and the children they are working to give hope to in their times of need.