The staff at Circle Square Doughnuts have hearts as sweet as the treats they sell.
The local shop has been partnering with Langley-based charitable organization Acts of Kindness (AOK) by donating dozens of doughnuts to various events called Share AOK.
“They do a lot of incredible things for the community and for the whole region,” Darcy Letourneau, owner of Circle Square Doughnuts said of AOK which has supplied food, education, shelter, support and compassion to thousands of Fraser Valley individuals.
Circle Square now does its own Share AOK Wednesdays where they bring doughnuts to different Chilliwack groups like firefighters, staff in the emergency ward, Chilliwack Business Improvement Association staff, schools and paramedics.
“I just want to help the community. Chilliwack’s been good to me. I want to give back,” Letourneau said. “It’s as a thank-you to say ‘we care about you, we appreciate you.’”
They’ve given doughnuts to the RCMP because “everyone complaints about them, but no one says ‘thank-you’ to them.”
The folks at Ruth and Naomi’s had “tears in their eyes” when Circle Square handed them doughnuts. “The staff at a lot of these places don’t get anything at all.”
Customers buy the Share AOK doughnuts at half price, and Circle Square pays the other half. On average, they donate two to three dozen doughnuts each time. One loyal customer comes in every week and buys doughnuts for the upcoming Share AOK.
“Our customers have really gotten behind it and they love it,” he said.
They do smaller acts of kindness, too, like giving away free mini doughnuts to every child who comes into the shop. And larger, non-doughnut related gestures as well; they recently held a cancer fundraiser for a young man where Circle Square customers donated more than $1,000 in one day.
“Our customers are just amazing. I absolutely adore them.”
Now they’re gearing up for their biggest Share AOK event — delivering doughnuts to the kids and staff at BC Children’s Hospital on Christmas Eve.
“It was my daughter’s idea and I’m so proud of my kids for thinking that way,” Letourneau said.
His goal is to make 1,000 mini-doughnut treat bags, plus about 12 dozen doughnuts for BC Children’s Hospital. They’re looking for donations of cash and time to make the Christmassy Share AOK successful.
Letourneau is inviting people to volunteer on the morning of Dec. 24. Folks will get a chance to help make doughnuts, starting around 6 a.m., and package them up.
“With my business, we will always give. We give away more dang doughnuts than we know what to do with because if I can’t make a difference with [my business] I don’t want to do it.”
Circle Square Doughnuts is located at 45961 Princess Ave. For more info or to volunteer for the Dec. 24 Share AOK, call 778-539-5123.
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