Manteca Police Nick Obligacion is the undisputed king of the pancake grill — at least as far as Joe Williams is concerned.
The chief whipped up a dinosaur shaped pancake for Williams during Thursday’s serving of pancakes and omelets to members of the Manteca Boys & Girls Club at the Alameda Street clubhouse as part of a Manteca Rotary endeavor.
Williams liked the look of the dinosaur so much that he waited as long as possible before eating it.
He was one of a 100 plus youth that the Rotarians served.
The omelet lunch — that is done several times a year — was the outgrowth of the club’s successful Super Bowl Sunday Omelet Breakfast. The club cancels a weekly meeting when students are out of school — it was spring break this week for Manteca Unified — so members can roll up their sleeves, whip up batter and create omelets.
Coordinating the effort is the Rotary club’s master chef — Jeff Liotard of Mt. Mike’s Pizza fame — and retired police chief Charlie Halford who is also a guardian angel of sorts for the club.
Halford devotes much of his time tackling various odd jobs around the club.
The youth had their orange juice served by City Attorney John Brinton and omelets fixed by,  among others, City Councilman Mike Morowit, former Manteca’s Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Zellner, Manteca Fire Battalion Chief David Marques and retired South San Joaquin irrigation District general manager Jeff Shields who is in line to serve as the Rotary club’s next president.
Boys & Girls program coordinator Mark McCool noted for many of the kids the Rotary lunch was the first thing they had eaten that day given their family situations and the fact school is out.
McCool added that many club members look forward to after school tutoring and hit the books the second they come into the club’s doors. A big incentive is the Food 4 Thought program offered in conjunction with the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Their successful participation in the Food 4 Thought tutoring program allows them to take home bags of groceries to help feed their families.
McCool said when kids go hungry it creates behavioral problems plus they can’t concentrate in school.
“A hungry kid is not a happy kid,” McCool said.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com