Glimpses | The Donut Man's Heart of Gold

Bailey Berg |

Joel Mickelson, owner of Joel’s Water Street Auto, recently made a trip to the Philippines with his wife. With a heart as big as the donut man who sits sentry outside his shop, he decided to bring the locals a treat – just because. Joel, who serves homemade donuts to his customers, had originally planned to bring his donut fryer, but thought better of it, considering the size of his suitcase and the amount of hot grease needed to make enough donuts for all the kids. So he took up a collection at work, asking customers to donate a few dollars, with which he purchased fresh pack ice cream to serve to the Filipino children, many of whom had neither seen nor heard of such a thing. For a few days Joel opened the back of his van, and, armed with an ice cream scooper and thousands of little Dixie cups, dished out ice cream. “It was like pouring instant chaos on the ground,” Joel said. “Within minutes there was a mob scene.” While it may not have been the most relaxing of vacations, Joel called it the most rewarding and fun vacation he could have asked for, saying, “Chaos makes life seem a little bit more fun. I figured this was good a way to stir up a little trouble.”