Golden Age Breakfast offers free meal

The Jaycees of Valmeyer are once again offering their Golden Age Breakfast on Jan. 5. The free meal will include bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, biscuits & gravy, fruit, coffee, juice and milk served at the Valmeyer Legion from 8-11 a.m.

Kris Voelker, who is helping organize the breakfast, said it has been a tradition for many years.

“It started back in the late 1970s, back when my dad was a member of the Jaycees,” she said.

Originally, the Jaycees had a service project where they went around Valmeyer and gave fruit baskets to every individual home in town.

“They decided they wanted to do something specifically for the older residents in town,” she said. “They came up with the name ‘Golden Age Breakfast’ and used to do it right before Christmas.”

The breakfast served as sort of a Christmas gift to the elderly in the community for many years, Voelker said, and it was done that way up until the late 1990s.

There were a few years when the breakfast wasn’t a part of the Valmeyer wintertime calendar – right around the time of the flood.

“When the town was built, they started it again and held it at the firehouse because that was really the only place to have it at the time,” she said.

They were having trouble getting Jaycees to help with organizing and putting on the breakfast during the busy holiday season, so it was moved until after Christmas and the start of the New Year.

“The concept is the same, but it’s at a later date,” she said. “It’s a simple gesture to the community.”

Voelker said there are usually about 50 residents who come and participate in the dinner.

“Everybody is always so grateful that we do this and keep this tradition going,” she said.

The Valmeyer Legion even lets the Jaycees use the hall for free because they appreciate the tradition as well.

“I can’t imagine that we’d ever stop doing this,” Voelker said.

The event volunteers will also deliver to senior citizens who might not be able to get out to the legion.

Those wishing to have breakfast delivered to them may call Angie Hoffman that morning at 618-939-5763.

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