Tupelo Rotary Club members deliver donuts polio vaccine fundraiser

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Members of the Tupelo Rotary Club were delivering donuts to help eradicate polio.

It is all part of “Purple Pinkie Day”, which raises money to provide oral doses of the polio vaccine in countries where it is still prevalent.

Specially made donuts, called “Purple Pinkies” are sold by Rotary Club members to provide doses of the vaccine.

The donuts are called Purple Pinkies because of national immunization day. Kids have their pinkies marked with purple ink to show that they have had the vaccine.

“It started out in Knoxville, Tennessee, a Rotarian, who had 20 Dunkin Donut franchises, he came up with the idea and it is just now being done in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Kansas,” said Ron Ashby, Chairman for “Purple Pinkie” Committee.

More than half of the donuts purchased were donated to groups such as the Salvation Army, Boys and Girls Club, fire and police departments, and other organizations across the area.

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