The Salvation Army Santa Clarita Valley Corps is excited to announce the inaugural Donut Day event.

This new and delicious event will take place on National Donut Day Friday, June 7, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. at The Cube, with a ticketed VIP reception following at 5 p.m.

At the reception, a special award will be presented to long time Salvation Army Board Member and former Santa Clarita Councilmember Bob Kellar. The Donut Eating Contest will take place in front of The Cube and will be live broadcasted on the jumbotron.

It is free to come cheer on the competitors, or buy raffle tickets to vote for your favorite for a chance to win amazing prizes. Tickets to the VIP reception are $65 and include light bites and a drink ticket.

All funds raised from this inaugural event will go right back to the Santa Clarita community for local services provided by the Salvation Army. This includes our food pantry, homeless support services, casework, counseling and addiction services.

Only with your help, can we continue to provide support to those who are most vulnerable in our Santa Clarita community. Please visit the website.

“We are thrilled to invite the community to come cheer on the donut eating competitors,” said Salvation Army SCV Captain Rafael Viana. “There will be donut decorating for kids and of course, donuts to eat – from our generous sponsor, California Bakery & Café. All the funds raised from this event will stay right here in Santa Clarita, providing support and resources where our community needs it most.”

This new celebration pays tribute to the Salvation Army’s donut heritage which tracks all the way back to World War I when the Donut Lassies, who were Salvation Army volunteers, baked and delivered donuts to soldiers on the front lines. Both the presence of these courageous women and the donuts that tasted of home brought a light of hope and happiness to the battlefield — a much-needed morale boost for languishing soldiers.

In fact, the Donut Lassies are also credited with popularizing the donut in the United States after the troops (commonly known as “doughboys”) came back from fighting in Europe. And still today, over a hundred years later, The Salvation Army continues to serve on the front lines through a wide range of social services for the most vulnerable individuals and families living in the United States.

Tickets are now on sale for the VIP reception and sponsorships are still available. For more information visit the website, or call or email4 Captain Rafael Viana at (661) 210-1037 or Rafael.Viana@usw.salvationarmy.org.

The Salvation Army Santa Clarita Valley Corps provides a variety of resources for the community through food, shelter, addiction resources and more. If you are looking for ways to be the difference in your community, please visit the Salvation Army website.

To stay up to date on programming, follow them on Facebook @tsascv and Instagram @salvationarmysantaclarita.