Planned2Give, a local event planning business that hosts fundraising events for nonprofits in the Miami Valley, has really struggled, as the pandemic has truly shut down most of their events. But they’ve decided to launch a new event, that can be successfully executed during the pandemic.Dayton Donut Festival on Tour! is a self-guided tour of the Miami Valley’s locally owned donut shops, which kicks off this Friday, Feb 12th and runs through Sunday, Feb 21st. Purchase a coupon booklet for just $25 and you’ll get a coupon that can be redeemed for 3 donuts at each of the 10 stops on the tour, during each shops regular hours (a couple are even open 24 hous), which are noted in the booklet. According to P2G co-founder Jeff Jackson, “it feels good to create an event that will draw traffic to these small independent shops at a time when business is slower due to the pandemic.”
Participating donut shops include:- Ashley’s Pastry Shop – Oakwood
- Bear Creek Donuts – Miamisburg
- Bill’s Donut Shop – Centerville
- Donut Haus – Springboro
- Donut Palace – Huber Heights & Trotwood
- Duck Donuts – Dayton
- Evans Bakery – Old North Dayton
- Jim’s Donut Shop – Vandalia
- Neighborhood Nest- Fairborn
- Stan The Donut Man- Kettering
Ticket sales benefit Miami Valley Meals, who serve those who are affected by food insecurity, by providing bulk nutritious chef-prepared meals to organizations that feed the hungry. In March of 2020 Miami Valley Meals began work to support a project addressing pandemic needs. Co-founded by Chef Matt DeAngulo, Bill Evans and Amanda DeLotelle, the mission was to employ pandemic furloughed culinary professionals to quickly and efficiently bulk prepare frozen meals from recovered food for distribution through organizations that feed the hungry. By “serving those who serve the hungry,” we hope to support efforts of existing operations through food, freeing up their resources to focus on their missions and outreach. This community organization is making such a huge difference in our community, currently serving over 5000 meals each week. 
The Mandalay Banquet Center was the hot spot for breakfast cocktails today as the 4th Bloody Mary Showdown kicked off this morning at 11am. Produced by Planned2Give this fundraiser pitted nineteen area bartenders against each other, all putting their own twist on this classic cocktail, powered by Svedka Vodka. VIP ticket holders started the morning off with a buffet breakfast before the taping and at 11:45am the doors opened to general admission ticket holders as well making for a packed house! There were spicy drinks, and sweet drinks and even a green tomato bloody mary. Garnishes ranged from home make pork rinds, to shrimp, chicken wings, cheese, tomatoes, pickles and some glasses had rims dusted with celery salt, spices and so much more!
This Saturday Planned2Give kicks off the holiday beer season with it’s 4th annual Beerry Christmas Dayton. “With the abundance of holiday ales and winter warmers coming out, deciding which ones to buy can be overwhelming, and that’s why we created this event, to allow you to sample a variety of them before you buy for your holiday entertaining,” says event co-founder Jeff Jackson.
Another new element to the event, the mitten tree! Guests are encouraged to bring mittens, gloves and scarves, which will be distributed to those in need. Each donation will be rewarded with a raffle ticket, which guest can then drop in the box affiliated with the prize they’d most like to win.
Raffle prize include a New Belgium bicycle, provided by Bonbright Distributing, an advent case of craft beer, a pair of VIP tickets to the Bloody Mary Showdown, a gift certificate for the 937 Party Bus, and restaurant gift certificates. Raffle tickets are $5 each, 3 for $10 or 10 for $20.
With almost 500 in people in attendance at today’s 3rd Annual Svedka Bloody Mary Showdown, the votes were counted and for the 2nd year is a row 
