Kalamazoo Donut Eating Contest Raises Dough for Salvation Army [Photos]

Proving competitive eating is more of a science than an art, Thermo Fisher's David Morgan beat local artist Nathan Klein at Sweetwater's second annual donut eating contest.

Danish or dunker, sweet roll, sinker, dunker, donut or doughnut, whatever you call them, they are delicious. We've all had that experience of a box of donuts in the break room at work that proves irresistible, no matter how much you are committed to shaping that Summer body. You think "I'll just cut this one in half and it's OK," only to find yourself later eating half of a different one later and then picking up crumbs from a third flavor. That happens at the radio station all the time, so when I was asked to be the MC for Sweetwater's donut eating contest, I felt I was qualified.

I wasn't ready for this.

Literally the day before, I found out I was going to trade the microphone for a bib. They needed one more contestant and I was asked to be one of the competitive eaters. Now, I'm a competitive guy, but this is not my best sport. Because of the great people involved at Sweetwater's and the Salvation Army, I agreed to get involved and I'm glad I did. I don't want to say I tanked it, but I knew there was no way I was going to win in my rookie outing, so I just sat back and watched how the pros do it.

For some reason, Thermo Fisher is very much a part of this thing. The defending champion is an employee and they had a couple more contestants in the field this year and a cadre cheering them on. It turns out these science nerds have donut eating down to...well, a science. I was next to local artist Nathan Klein, and I totally thought he was going to win this thing. From the jump, Nate stood up and hunched over his box of a dozen assorted pastries, shovelling it in with both hands. It came down to the wire and, with less than a minute remaining on the clock, Thermo Fisher's David Morgan leaped from his chair in victory over his now-empty box. Nathan had less than half of his final donut remaining, his title hopes crumbled.

The best part of the day is the money raised for the Salvation Army. (Did you know the salvation Army actually invented National Donut Day?) In 2018, Sweetwater's Donut Mill raised about $10,000 for the cause. Friday, June 7 is donut day 2019, and Sweetwater's is again planning on donating a percentage of sales to partner in the great work being done here in Kalamazoo.So go ahead, treat yourself to a donut or two...or a dozen.

Grab a napkin and enjoy some photos I took while I wasn't eating donuts.