People in Bainbridge looking to indulge in one last meal of fatty sweetness before Ash Wednesday could be found at First United Methodist Church where the church was hosting its third annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.

Nearly a hundred adults and kids packed into the J.O. Smith Activities Building to enjoy pancakes, sausage, grits and of course, syrup.

“It’s the big celebration before the start of the Lent season,” event helper Meredith Earnest said. “Typically, it involves eating lots of fatty foods like pancakes—things you wouldn’t typically have during lent.”

Toppings for pancakes included chocolate chips and whipped cream. In preparation of lent, people used to use up all the butter and sugar they had in the home so it would not go to waste. Over the years, one of the most popular meals to make was pancakes.

Earnest said 15 volunteers were flipping pancakes in the kitchen, including fourth grader Bolton Yarborough, who has been helping all three years.

“It’s fun,” Yarborough said as he poured and flipped.

First United Methodist Church began their Pancake Supper for educational purposes to give attendees facts about lent and also invite them back for the church’s Ash

Wednesday service the next day. Earnest said it was interesting for people to see the gluttonous aspect of the Pancake Supper compared to the self-control-centered aspect of Lent.

“It’s a really good dichotomy,” Earnest said.

Anyone in the community is welcomed to attend the supper for free, but the church also accepts donations that go toward its mission work fund.

“We’ve always done pretty well because people like to give,” Earnest said. “It’s something the church can offer to the community, and we usually are able to put money back into our mission fund.”

Ash Wednesday, named after the practice of blessing people with palm branch ashes on their foreheads, marks 46 days until Easter.