The Iowa Arts Festival and The ICARE Pancake Breakfast are both 19 years old this year! Between these two groups the Ped Mall has seen a lot of art and a lot of pancakes!

The Sunday (June 4th) of The Iowa Arts Festival plays host to The ICARE Pancake Breakfast from 8AM-1PM where hungry festival goers fuel up for a day of music and fine art with delicious pancakes prepared by 125 volunteers and serve almost 1,000 people. Twenty gallons of syrup, three hundred pounds of sausage, one hundred and fifty pounds of pancake mix, 30 cases of oranges (squeezed by fifteen people over the course of six hours the day before), piles of strawberries, peaches and blueberries, and a mountain of fresh whipped cream.... should we go on?

This breakfast is a great time, for a great cause! The idea of the pancake breakfast was conceived by Marcia Wegman, David Leshtz, and the late Rick Graf in 1987 as a fundraiser for ICARE.  A partnership was forged with New Pioneer Co-op and its vendors to donate the food, and an incredible community event was created. When all is said and done we will be approaching the $21,000 mark this year. Over fifty local businesses contribute to the event.

ICARE’s mission is to enrich the quality of life for persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Through the distribution of information and services, ICARE fosters the self-empowerment necessary to live productively and positively in the face of the disease.

                                                     NEW! Download the ICARE Breakfast Poster

Times can look pretty bleak for some of our clients at ICARE. A few hours of your time can make all the difference in the world.

ICARE is ever grateful for all the supporters of the Pancake Breakfast. The businesses, volunteers, and patrons that come together to enjoy this event have a great time for a great cause. We hope everyone can join us next year for the Nineteenth Annual New Pioneer Co-op and ICARE Pancake Breakfast.

 TICKETS ARE $12, Kids 7 and under eat for FREE.