Entenmann's® And The Salvation Army Are Ready To Roll Out The Red Carpet For The Premiere Of The Red Velvet Donut For 2014 National Donut Day Extravaganza

WAYNE, N.J., May 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Entenmann's Bakery, a division of Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU), and The Salvation Army are rolling out the red carpet this #NationalDonutDay, June 6^th, 2014, with a sweet sweepstakes in honor and celebration of the newest flavor to the world-renowned donut family, Red Velvet, as well as paying tribute to the men and women who have served our country.

"We're very excited to partner with The Salvation Army for the fourth year in a row and hit the $100K charitable donation mark with the debut of our newest flavored Red Velvet donut," said Maureen Sticco, Director of Entenmann's Marketing Services.

"Entenmann's has been a terrific partner and supporter of our mission of goodwill and we look forward to making the 2014 National Donut Day the best one yet," said Major Ron Busroe, National Community Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army.

Entenmann's New Red Velvet Donut for National Donut Day:

Entenmann's Bakery has been creating delicious treats for over 115 years including the iconic and best-selling Rich Frosted and Crumb-topped donuts to seasonal favorites such as Cider, Harvest Pumpkin and Frosted Raspberry donuts. Entenmann's Master Baker Kathleen Robbins and her Research & Development team have created their first-ever Red Velvet donut recipe made to perfection, as Kathleen noted. "Our new donut combines the familiar taste of the fan favorite Red Velvet with the flavor of cream cheese in the glaze that we know will certainly delight our consumers."

The Red Velvet donut is now available on store shelves, just in time for this year's National Donut Day celebration next week.  

Facebook Sweepstakes:

In this the fourth year of the partnership and in celebration of the historical day, Entenmann's will be rewarding lucky "fans" with 'Free Donuts for a Year' and additional prizes through the sweepstakes link on the Entenmann's Facebook page. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 30, 2014. Winners will be randomly selected from all submissions.  Official Rules can be found at www.entenmanns.com and additional info can be found printed on the package for the Red Velvet donuts, Rich Frosted donuts and Powdered Bag Donuts.

In its continued support of The Salvation Army, from April 21 to June 30 Entenmann's Bakery will donate to the organization $1 for every person who "likes" the Entenmann's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/entenmanns), up to $30,000. Entenmann's Bakery has donated a total of $70,000 to The Salvation Army through the first three years of the partnership and plans to hit the $100,000 mark through this year's donation campaign.

A Bite Out of National Donut Day History

The holiday, held annually on the first Friday of June, was established by The Salvation Army in 1938 in Chicago to honor the "Donut Lassies" who served these treats to soldiers during World War I and to help raise needed funds during the Great Depression. The donuts became synonymous with The Salvation Army, as well as the American soldiers who were returning home with the nickname, "doughboys." This significant occasion established the donut as a long-standing symbol of the services The Salvation Army continues to provide. Today, The Salvation Army continues to provide meals, including donuts, and numerous other services to clients who visit Salvation Army programs daily.

National Donut Day Fun Facts

Salvation Army:

• National Donut Day commemorates the "donut lassies," female Salvation Army volunteers who provided writing supplies, stamps, clothes-mending and home-cooked meals, and of course, donuts, for soldiers on the front lines.
• With limited resources, these treats were fried, only seven at a time. The Salvation Army's Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance cleverly thought of frying donuts in soldiers' helmets.
• Approximately 250 Salvation Army volunteers provided assistance to American soldiers in France starting in 1917 during WWI.
• In 2013, 30 million Americans received assistance from The Salvation Army's 3,600 officers, 60,000 employees and 3.4 million volunteers.

Entenmann's Bakery:

• With donut bakeries in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and Montebello, California, Entenmann's produces more than 780 million donuts a year, which is the equivalent to 15 million donuts a week and more than 100,000 donuts every hour to keep up with the demands of Entenmann's donut lovers nationwide.
• The Rich Frosted Donut has been the #1 seller since its introduction in 1973.
• Entenmann's produces a number of varieties of donuts and Pop'ems each year including Cinnamon and Snickerdoodle Pop'ems and Devils Food Crumb Donuts to seasonal varieties including Halloween Rich Frosted Sprinkled, Harvest Pumpkin Donuts, Holiday Pop'ems and Rainbow Pop'ems.
• In the early '50s, Frank Sinatra used to call the Bay Shore bakery to place weekly orders from Entenmann's.

For more information on National Donut Day 2014, please visit www.salvationarmyusa.org, http://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyUSA, www.entenmanns.com or www.facebook.com/entenmanns.

About Entenmann's Bakery 

Founded in 1898, Entenmann's® Bakery has over 100 sweet baked goods, including donuts, Little Bites, crumb cakes and chocolate chip cookies. Entenmann's products are baked by the Bimbo Bakeries USA companies (BBU).  BBU is a leader in the baking industries known for its category leading brands, innovative products, freshness and quality.  Our team of more than 25,000 U.S. associates operates 69 manufacturing locations in the United States. 13,500 distribution routes deliver our leading brands such as Arnold®, Bimbo®, Boboli®, Brownberry®, Entenmann's®, Francisco®, Freihofer's®, Heiner's ®, Marinela®, Mrs Baird's®, Oroweat®, Sara Lee®, Stroehmann®, Thomas'®, and Tia Rosa®.

More information about Bimbo Bakeries USA companies' full line of products can be found at http://www.bimbobakeriesusa.com and www.entenmanns.com.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a range of social services: providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. Eighty-two cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

CONTACT:
Dan Perlowitz/Amy Friedland
Freeman Public Relations for Entenmann's
[email protected] 973.470.0400 ext 14
[email protected] 973.470.0400 ext 25

Jennifer Byrd/Trish Raines
The Salvation Army
[email protected] 703.519.5890
[email protected] 845.620.7316

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140529/92458

SOURCE Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU)