Have you ever stopped to think about what goes into something as simple as a donut?
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to help with the annual donut fundraiser at The Paloma School--a bilingual school right here in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
While there, I met the queen of donuts--Elsie Zimmerman herself--and what I expected to be a morning of flour and glaze turned into a story about legacy, generosity, and the quiet ways one person can shape a community.
This isn’t really a story about donuts.
It’s a story about what can grow from something small and a heart of faith.
It started... with a vacuum cleaner?
Elsie credits her mother, Esther May Zimmerman, for the original idea. Esther was a farmer's wife, and she couldn't stand all the dirt tracked in on the carpet any given day. She wanted a vacuum cleaner. Problem was, her husband thought the straw broom worked just fine.
So what does one do as a determined Mennonite woman?
She took matters into her own hands. 💪
She began making donuts and selling them for 75 cents a dozen at a local sewing factory where her daughter worked until she had sold enough to bring home her vacuum cleaner. It didn't take long.
"We've never had a problem selling these donuts," she said.
Suddenly, a superpower was activated. What started as a practical solution to a household disagreement slowly became something with much more potential.
Elsie remembers helping as a child — running trays back and forth, keeping donuts warm in a warming drawer, carefully rotating them so they stayed evenly heated.
When she got older, she tried bringing the fundraiser with her. While in nursing school in Norristown around 1970, she organized a donut sale for her nursing group.
She laughs now remembering that the operation was “fairly sloppy” and admits the donuts weren’t especially well made that time. Still, they packed boxes into the car, drove them from her home to Norristown, and sold them for $2 a dozen to help with education costs.
It wasn’t perfect. But it was determined.
More Than a Fundraiser
Over the course of 60+ years, those same donuts have helped fund education, supported nursing school tuition, and even contributed toward a kidney transplant. For Elsie, the mission has always been rooted in something deeper than baking.
When I asked her what keeps her going — especially after a year that’s included more than her fair share of health scares — she didn’t hesitate.
“Because I want to live like Jesus did," she said. "He was a servant and so we should be following in his footsteps and looking out for other people.”
There are some people you meet and you get the quiet sense that you’re standing on holy ground. Elsie is one of them.
She’s the kind of person who knows all of her neighbors by name. If someone new moves in, she’ll still bring over a tray of cookies and introduce herself — even now, even as she laughs about slowing down a bit and how the stairs aren’t quite as forgiving as they used to be.
The donuts are simply one expression of a life that’s been shaped by service.
Carrying It Forward
Today, a dedicated team of women--Deb Clancy, Rochelle High, Lisa Gingerich, and Crystal High--continue the work. They’ve kept Elsie’s methods intact while building a more streamlined operation — organized, efficient, but still very much handmade.
Every penny of profit from the sale goes toward tuition for kids attending The Paloma School, a Christian, bilingual school here in Lebanon, PA.
And even though it's hard work... it's a fun group to be a part of. You'll find friends chatting over the glaze, kids pitching in, and dads running around with trays over the heads. It's a multi-generational sticky, floury, doughy effort.
We all come home tired, happy, and smelling like a donut.
And Elsie? She still stops in occasionally to “make sure everything’s being done right.” 😂😂😂
After sixty years, I’d say she’s earned that privilege.
But for all her effort, I can personally confirm that she can safely let go of the reins whenever she chooses. Because my oh my...
Those glazed donuts are EXCELLENT. 👩🍳💋
#iykyk
Living here in Lebanon County, we all know how quickly people show up when there’s a need. Elsie’s story is a reminder that meaningful impact doesn’t have to begin with a grand plan.
Sometimes it starts with a 75-cent box of donuts.
Sometimes it starts with a vacuum.
And sometimes... it grows into a legacy that spans generations.
If you’re local to the area, keep an eye out next February for the annual donut fundraiser. I’ll share ordering details here as soon as they’re available.
But heads up, they sell out quickly!
Supporting it isn’t just about enjoying a really good donut. It’s about participating in something that has been quietly strengthening this community for decades.
One small tradition. A lasting legacy.
Naomi is a talented family, maternity, and graduating senior photographer in Lebanon, PA who may have eaten too many donuts last week. 😇
She hopes you did, too.
