Local Family Sharing Salvation Army Impact on National Donut Day
Cleveland, OH (June 7th, 2024) — National Donut Day, the world's sweetest holiday, was established in 1938 by The Salvation Army. This day is a delightful reason to visit your favorite local bakery and is a testament to the bravery of The Salvation Army’s “Donut Lassies”. These courageous women stood shoulder to shoulder with soldiers on the front lines during World War I, providing them with a taste of home and a much-needed morale boost.
Captain Carl and Kay Asseff of Independence, OH, take each National Donut Day to remember their first introduction to The Salvation Army in Greater Cleveland. Like the story of the “Donut Lassies”, Captain Carl has had his own experience with doing good with a donut.
“I was deployed as an active National Guard solider during July 1968 to the Glenville area to aid local authorities from the rioting; the Salvation Army was on-site distributing coffee and donuts to all emergency personnel,” stated Captain Carl Asseff. “This gesture of kindness has resonated and stayed with me all these years. The riots were chaotic, and it was good to know that someone cared at that moment. The Salvation Army took away my anxiety,” continued Asseff.
In 1917, The Salvation Army volunteers traveled to France and set up makeshift huts to provide soldiers with essential supplies, emotional and spiritual support, and freshly baked donuts. The sweet treat did more than raise spirits; it brought comfort and a taste of home to those who risked their lives.
The Salvation Army remains a beacon of hope in our local communities today. Its comprehensive programs and services span spiritual, emotional, and financial care and support and make a significant difference in the lives of individuals and families in need. Cleveland deeply feels their presence, underscoring their unwavering commitment to their neighbors.
The Asseffs have found themselves connected to, benefiting from, and serving with The Salvation Army for most of their lives. While Capt. Carl found freedom from anxiety in a tense time, Kay, his wife, found it as a place to help “the least of these.” She served as the director of nursing at The Salvation Army Harbor Light Complex for almost 20 years and found that there was no greater place to serve than by helping those who had become drug-dependent detox at this facility.
Kay found herself living by the words in Matthew 25:40: Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. “People who came into Harbor Light often came in with only clothes on their backs. I would often bring clothes from our house to have as additional options for the residents in treatment,” commented Kay Asseff.