RIVERSIDE — Fat Tuesday, Fastnacht Day, Paczki Day, or Doughnut Day — whatever you call it, it is a time to indulge. Volunteers at a church in Riverside made sure people not only had doughnuts. They also made chocolate Easter eggs.
The tables at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Riverside were covered with bags of doughnuts. People lined up to buy them by the dozen.
“Two dozen doughnuts. One dozen is for my sister,” Pauline Hesbacher said.
Volunteers at the church made 350 dozen potato doughnuts. That’s more than 4,000.
“We worked eight hours on Sunday and then we were here from 9 yesterday morning until 9 last night,” Gail Garman said.
“The homemade doughnuts are the best. I love homemade doughnuts. I don’t have time to make them myself, so when they’re homemade I just come out and get them,” Linda Ackley said.
It’s not only doughnuts for sale at the church. Fat Tuesday marks the start of the sale of chocolate Easter eggs. The eggs are another big fundraiser for the church.
Volunteer Gail Garman tells Newswatch 16 they used to sell them later in the year.
“Last year, for the first time, I started the Easter eggs a week before we did the doughnuts. We sold 70 dozen Easter eggs and we had the best year ever,” Garman said.
People are happy to have two tasty options on Fat Tuesday.
“I love peanut butter eggs. It’s my downfall. Chocolate is always my downfall,” Ackley said.
“I’ll probably put them in the refrigerator and forget about them. No, you won’t,” Hesbacher said.
Money raised from sales of the doughnuts and chocolate Easter eggs goes to general operations of the church. The eggs will also be available Monday and Friday afternoons at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Riverside.
