Purple Pinkie Project Donut Drive to Stomp Out Polio
Today is World Polio Day, and the Montgomery Rotary Club hosted its annual “Purple Pinkie Project” Donut Drive to raise funds for those countries where polio still threatens children.
In countries where polio is still a major medical concern, children under 5 must be vaccinated twice a year. Those who receive that vaccination are marked with purple paint on their left pinky finger to prove that they have been vaccinated.
So far in 2023, there are seven confirmed cases in two countries –Afghanistan and Pakistan — compared to 21 in the same period last year. It is possible that this disease, which used to affect millions of people with paralysis or even death, may soon be eradicated.
Rotary Clubs across Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi band together with Dunkin’ Donuts each year to raise funds for this effort. Each $25 box of donuts equals $187.50 to fight polio, thanks to matching contributions from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Purple Pinkie Donut Project has raised over a million dollars in the past five years, which equates to about 580,000 donuts sold.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PURPLE PINKIE PROJECT
