One business on 20th Street is hoping to make a difference in the neighborhood one donut at a time.
Nestor’s Bakery owner Keith Jorgensen is giving away free donuts Thursday to people aged 11 to 30 living in Pleasant Hill, Riversdale and area. The catch: a violence-free Facebook page must be shown first.
He’s hoping to send a message of non-violence.
"A lot of drugs are sold via Facebook and Messenger. There's a lot of references to violence and gangs on Facebook and I think it normalizes a very negative set of behaviors," Jorgenson told CTV News.
He has worked with youth in the neighbourhood over the years. Jorgenson is prepared to check Facebook pages Thursday to ensure they are legitimate and contain nothing indicating violence – “no machetes , no Uzis, no gang flags, no references to selling narcotics or weapons."
Pleasant Hill alone has seen three homicides this month.
Bakers at Nestor’s will start making 300 extra donuts at 3:30 a.m. Thursday.
For those who don’t fit the criteria of the promotion, proceeds from donuts bought will go to the STR8 UP program.
The giveaway will extend to the third Thursday of each month.
