It’s fitting that the Saint of the Day for Sunday, Feb. 24, is St. John Theristus, an Italian Benedictine monk. In the 11th century he helped to miraculously harvest a large crop before destructive weather to save the locals from starvation. Thereafter he was known as the Harvester.

A local harvester of sorts would be Beavercreek entrepreneur Jan Venkayya, who started the Day of Caring in 1991. People come together to eat pancakes and sausage and leave donations that go to help feed the poor and the hungry.

“Day of Caring is more than just a one-day fundraising event,” Venkayya said. “Although this is important in itself, Day of Caring is, first and foremost, designed to elevate personal awareness and create a framework where individuals can participate.”

This year there are 48 locations and hundreds of volunteers serving up pancakes and syrup with a smile. One of those sites is the Queen of Apostles church at Mount St. John/Bergamo Center, 4400 Shakertown Road, Beavercreek. One of those volunteers is Kelly Bohrer, a member of the church who is also the University of Dayton coordinator of community outreach.

“We take our family to the Day of Caring breakfast every year. Last year we noticed that they needed more help cleaning up,” said Kelly Bohrer, who attends the church along with her husband, Jess, and two young sons, 4 and 6. “The church has one of those steam dishwashers, and the kids love to use the hard-rinse sprayer.”

Times for each brunch vary at each site; Queen of Apostles is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Si-Lounge. The time is later due to a 10:30 mass beforehand. The Marianist church is located across from Gallery St. John.

The church’s vision statement is also appropriate for this event: “We share this [communion] and we proclaim our willingness to build a community of love, and to be the holy people God calls us to be.”

Nimfa Simpson, co-coordinator of the church’s Day of Caring, said that over the past seven years, they do great when it comes to volunteers at the event.

“We have many seniors and teenagers who come to help out,” Simpson said. “Last year they helped us make around $800 for charity.”

The Day of Caring organization has three goals: 1) Raise money for the emergency shelter system/hunger coalition member agencies, 2) Raise public consciousness about the needs of the hungry and the homeless, and 3) Encourage volunteerism through continuous education and involvement.

A unique aspect of Day of Caring is the fact that 100 percent of ticket sales are returned to help those in need in that county where the brunch is served. Low overhead, efficiency and internal control work in tandem to ensure full benefits from donations. In 2010, donations helped the Montgomery County Emergency Housing Coalition and helped defray the costs of 10,000 Meals on Wheels for shut-ins and seniors in Greene County.

Over the past 21 years, more than 10,000 volunteers have worked at the Day of Caring pancake brunches, enabling the organization to give back $650,000 to charities in local communities. Last year, a push for personal hygiene items was added to the event. Just the basics, like toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, shaving cream/razors and body washes, are needed.

Speaking of need, there is always room for new volunteers for this outreach program. Anyone interested in becoming involved can fill out the volunteer form on the website listed in the How to Go box. Those interested in participating should also visit the site to find the nearest Day of Caring brunch.