NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — Whether you like plain, powdered sugar, glazed, or sprinkles, the Coal Township Rescue Squad has a doughnut for every tastebud at its Fat Tuesday fundraiser. It's the volunteer fire company's biggest fundraiser of the year.
"On Facebook alone, we had 370 dozen orders," Kayla Williams said.
"It's an old-time tradition. I grew up with this stuff," Gene Boughner said.
Volunteers started baking the night before and pulled an all-nighter. But it wasn't all smooth sailing. Because of the storm, thousands of homes and businesses in Northumberland County lost power, including the Coal Township Rescue Squad.
"We had flashlights and then we had these huge flashlights that we use at the fire scenes for more lighting. We had those out and ready to go," Williams said.
Luckily, the power came back on quickly, but the snow stopped some people from picking up their doughnuts.
"We had some cancellations. We had some people telling us they were going to come later. And we've also had them reach back out to us and say, 'No, we're on our way, the streets are clear.' So it's kind of been up and down," Williams said.
Tammy Taylor of Stonington picked up the doughnuts for her extended family.
"Everybody's parked in and there's snow everywhere. Side roads, I looked and they're not too good. But I offered because I got myself out."
People tell Newswatch 16 that the biggest issue they had when coming to pick up their doughnuts was finding a place to park.
"Parking areas are bad, but that's to be expected," Boughner said.
Even so, people were happy when they left. They got to support a good cause while grabbing a delicious Fat Tuesday treat.