It's Donut Day!!!!!

This week rather than focusing on just one person for the Inspiration Person of the Week, I chose to focus on a group. Many of us know the name Salvation Army, but how much do we really know about them? They provide a greater service than just the red kettles you see at Christmas or the thrift stores in your local town. So in honor of National Donut Day being celebrated on June 6th, I though it would be fitting to make the Salvation Army my Inspirational Person (or should I say group) of the Week.

I got the chance to chat with Major James Betts who is the General Secretary for the Greater New York Division of The Salvation Army about the good works of this organization and also how they have teamed up with Entenmann's to celebrate National Donut Day throughout the month of June.

Welcome Major Betts, how are you today? And I must say Happy Donut Day!

Happy Donut Day to you too! Thanks for having me.

So this past Friday we did celebrate National Donut Day and about how long has this been a national holiday?

This has been a national holiday going as far back as 1938, which comes to a surprise for a lot of people. The Salvation Army back in 1938 was a way to honor the veterans and all their service to the country while raising the needed dollars at the time during of Great Depression to help the program.

So, if this organization has been around for so long why has it gone under the radar? Everyone seems to love a donut and you would think they would want to celebrate something like National Donut Day?

You know I'm not sure. It's always been around, it's something we've always celebrated. But certainly within the last few years with the addition of Entenmann's and the partnership we have with them, it really enabled us to take it to another level as far as the media is concerned and really getting it out in the public eye a little more. It's something that depends on what's going on in the world at the time.

What was done for National Donut Day this year to help celebrate and get everyone involved?

Well first, we thank you so much for helping us raise awareness. With the donuts we are asking folks to go online and learn about Entenmann's at their Facebook page, and if they like their page then that will generate a dollar donation to the Salvation Army, as much as $30,000 for this year. If they want to go to the Salvation Army website (www.salvationarmyusa.org), they can learn about the Salvation Army and all the different programs we do and the services we offer to the community across the country.

That's such a great way to not only show how much you like occasional donut, but also to show your support for a great cause that's been around for a while.

Yeah, the Salvation Army started in 1865. We will be celebrating 150 years next year worldwide. Here in America, we've been around since 1880, so it'll be 135 years next year, but it's safe to say that we've been around a long time and I believe have stood the test of time. We're thrilled to continue to serve alongside our neighbors.

For those who know the name Salvation Army but really only know that there are the thrift stores and and red kettles at Christmas, what exactly does the Salvation Army have to offer?

Well, the Salvation Army is most well-known for the red kettles at Christmas time and helping families in need at Christmas. And they know about our thrift stores, particularly if you've been to college and you've needed to decorate your first apartment. An early Salvation Army, as we call it.

In reality the Salvation Army is at work 365 days a year across the world, and we're helping everyone from those that are hungry and homeless to those in addiction and all the different things that people find themselves in crisis. We certainly do that everyday. We also have a lot of programs that people are unaware of including music programs, after school programs, preschools, daycares, and senior citizen programs. Different things that can really help to break the cycle of poverty where we can, and also to help bring communities together in service and in community, in general.

I think that's awesome that it's not just about those people who are struggling, who are at the point where addiction has taken its toll or they're at the point where they don't have a home, but it's about even reaching poverty before it gets to that point.

Exactly. We like to say that we help the present and certainly help people through the crisis of present, but our goal is to transform the future. So that future generations and families and those who have not yet fallen into that cycle of poverty can try to prevent it. And those that are in it, we try to break it.

And I love that there's also that emphasis on the kids as much as there is on the adults, where for instance you mentioned the after school programs. That way if a kid grows up and they have a parent who has a struggle with something like addiction, the child won't fall into the same pattern.

You're right. That's the real challenge. When you're working with adults, you can make a difference, you can certainly impact change, but to be honest it's very difficult to change life patterns late in life. So the more we can work with children, the more we can work with education and just helping the kids set different patterns. Not only teaching them how to live good lives, but we're helping them to establish patterns early on in their life. That's our hope. Really what we've seen to be the case is that they can really chart a new course for their future. That there's not some of the same struggles and pit stops that some of their parents have had to deal with.

And they definitely can. Where can people go to get involved and celebrate National Donut Day throughout the rest of June and to make sure they are doing their part to help the Salvation Army?

There are two places that I would send people to. The first is the Salvation Army website (www.salvationarmyusa.org), then also head over to their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyUSA). After you do that check out the Entenmann's Facebook page, and remember if you like Entenmann's Facebook, it will generate a donation to the Salvation Army. Entenmann's is also inviting you to upload a selfie using #NationalDonutDay for the chance to enter a contest for a year's worth of donuts. So that's something fun people might be able to get involved in.

It definitely sounds like something fun. So if going to that page to generate a donation to Salvation Army isn't enough of a reward to make a difference, people can also enter to win donuts for a year.

Absolutely. And there's always the opportunity for folks to visit their local Salvation Army. They are always looking for help right on the spot.