Pancakes sailed through the air in the Waterloo High School cafeteria for a good cause Thursday evening.

In conjunction with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the school district hosted a “PJ Pants and Pancakes” benefit dinner and were able to raise more than $800 for the organization.

Kelly Lerch, Waterloo school district’s wellness coordinator, said the evening went well for the first time it has been hosted.

“We served over 200 people and it did meet our expectations,” she said. “It was a first fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters.”

Attendees showed up at the door in pajama pants and other sleep attire and were given plates and the chance to win prizes in a raffles.

They then headed to the front of the cafeteria to try to catch pancakes flipped through the air by a Chris Cakes employee.

Chris Cakes is a catering company out of St. Louis that also works with fundraising efforts and aims to have fun while serving pancakes in a fun manner.

“I had heard about this fundraiser through a St. Louis city school and had heard it was a fun fundraiser that was great for families,” Lerch said.

The raffles also went well, Lerch said.

“Local businesses donated items and it was successful,” she said.

Lerch said she’s looking forward to doing it again next year for Big Brother Big Sisters.

“We have the largest school-based Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Southern Illinois and it is an opportunity for us to give back to them for providing such an amazing program for our students,” she said.