By Jeanni Ritchie
I hadn’t yet had breakfast when I started scrolling through Facebook. Dogwood Dancers had made a post: “HUGE thank you to Junior & Neshia at A+ Donuts for their corporate sponsorship of the Dogwood Dancers! This donation helped us to get the entire team Poms, a banner, and a few other things for the ladies!”
First of all, as a former cheer mom I knew the costs associated with cheer and dance teams. Second, I’d had A+ Donuts on my “places to check out” list for a while. I headed over to their Facebook page to see if they’d be a good fit for this column.
The first thing I saw were Neshia’s daily videos. While the donuts looked good, it was the owner herself who drew me in. Big, beautiful smile. Eyes that lit up the screen more than any ring light ever could. I knew — without ever having met her — that I must be looking at a sister in Christ.
I also knew that within 20 minutes I’d be at A+ Donuts in Ball. I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.
While the food is the primary focus of this column, community is a close second. At A+ Donuts, the sense of community is as rich as the coffee.
From monthly breakfasts with Mayor Gail Wilking and the Chiefs, to annual benefits like Cruising for Kindness to benefit Ronald McDonald Charity House, they believe in giving back. Regulars populate the bakery, and I got the 411 when I joined a table of them that morning.
Led by “First Dude” Chuck Wilking, I learned some of A+ Donuts’ best secrets: arrive at 6:30 A.M. for the best selection and don’t leave without an apple fritter!
Display cases were lined with classic favorites — glazed and chocolate donuts, colorful sprinkle and tie-dye varieties, twists, long johns, filled donuts, and cinnamon rolls. Savory options include kolaches filled with sausage and cheese, jalapeño sausage, sausage, egg and cheese, bacon with jalapeño and cream cheese, and boudin, along with croissant sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and sausage biscuits for those wanting something beyond donuts.
I didn’t get to meet Neshia the morning I stopped in — she’d headed over to their recently reopened location in Creola — but I did get a big box of donuts to bring home. They were as delicious as they looked in the videos.
Stop by A+ Donuts at 4902 Monroe Hwy. Suite B, Ball. You’ll be welcomed like family, fed like a friend, and have supported a business that’s all about community.
And hey…isn’t that what America’s semiquincentennial is all about?!
