Once a year, an exclusive drive-thru sets up shop right in front of La Porte City Hall. The staff manning the booth? None other than Mayor Mark Krentz and the rest of the city administrators and leadership.
Wednesday morning marked La Porte’s 5th Annual Drive-Thru Breakfast. First established by Jennifer Noll, Human & Community Relations Director for the City of La Porte, the event sees the mayor and leaders of the city’s various departments (police, fire, transportation, etc.) serving up a free, light breakfast to any city employee who drives by city hall.
“We think that this is something our employees really look forward to each year,” Noll said. “We just want to show our employees that they are appreciated. There are so many departments keeping the city running that we rarely get to see them all at one time, so it’s nice to come together like this to serve our employees and tell them thank you.”
Previously held in the fall, Noll and the other organizers decided to move the breakfast up to the summer. With morning sunlight, warm weather, and clear skies, it was an ideal day to serve food on-the-go. Offerings included a variety of casseroles, fresh fruit, donuts, and coffee, freshly cooked by Brett Binversie, Director of the Civic Auditorium.
“It’s great to come out and give back, it’s part of showing how we care and that we’re all in it together,” said Binversie. “I’m happy to be providing the food, my mom always talked about having a ‘service soul.’ That’s how she did things, so that’s how I want to be as well.”
Mayors often find themselves being the face of their city, but it actually takes a huge team to keep things running. For Krentz, the event represented a lot more than a simple breakfast.
“It means everything to me, because as the mayor I feel a huge responsibility not just to the people coming to enjoy breakfast, but the people helping to serve it,” the mayor said. “These are department heads, the police chief, and so on. It’s a good show of concern from our team to the rest of the team, and makes us stronger all around.”
Assistant Fire Chief A.C. Pressler, standing in for Chief Andy Snyder, who was out of town, has been on both ends of the breakfast.
“Something like this really makes you feel valued,” Pressler said. “You really get to feel appreciated. When you’re out in the trenches, you don’t always see your boss, so to see them out here chipping in really builds a sense of family. It makes us feel valued as more than an employee.”
