May 22, 2023 – Sarasota
Everyone loves and donuts and everyone loves a good milestone birthday party, so at The Salvation Army in Manatee County we decided to launch our Centennial Celebration on Donut Day 2023.
Our records show that The Salvation Army began serving the Manatee County community on June 23, 1923. At first, we had “meetings” in different locations while we looked for a permanent home. These meetings likely followed our founder William Booth’s belief of Soup, Soap and Salvation….feed them, clean them, then their minds and hearts will be ready for salvation.
Why are we launching this celebration on Donut Day? In 1917, the original “Salvation Army Doughnut” was first served by the ladies of The Salvation Army when The Salvation Army “Lassies” went to the front lines of France during WWI. Home-cooked foods, provided by these brave volunteers, were a morale boost to the troops. Donut Day, which was first celebrated in 1939 in Chicago, was done in tribute to The Salvation Army & the Lassies.
From 10-12 on Friday, June 2, the public is welcome to come in have a donut and celebrate our 100 years in Manatee County. This celebration will take place in our Pathway of Hope Life Skills Center building at our Administrative & Social Services Complex at the corner of 14th Steet West and 12th Avenue West.
Our beloved city landmark LECOM Park also turns 100 this year. It seemed more than appropriate to include LECOM in our list of celebrations. With that in mind, on June 6, LECOM and the Bradenton Marauders will host Salvation Army Night during a game with the Dunedin Blue Jays. Major Juan Guadalupe will be throwing out the first pitch and The Salvation Army will have a table at the game.
Tickets to the game can be purchased at: https://fevo.me/salvationnight. 20% of ticket sales will be donated to The Salvation Army when this link is used.
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