If you enjoy flavors of pineapple and coconut while also doing something to better the lives of struggling young people, you’ll want to pop into a Voodoo Doughnut between now and June 26. The latest installment of its quarterly fundraiser series benefits the It Gets Better Project. 

The Paradise doughnut is a taste of the tropics. It’s pineapple-shaped, decorated with vanilla icing, topped with an umbrella and filled with pineapple and coconut Bavarian cream. The fundraiser comes at a time when politicians have turned topics affecting LBGTQ+ youth, such as gender-affirming care, book bans, restroom use, sports participation and in-school discussions, into hot button issues. 

The It Gets Better Project’s mission is “to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth around the globe.” “We are so excited for the ongoing support of Voodoo Doughnut and to have the Voodoo Doughnut community as champions of LGBTQ+ youth,” said Jimmy Ancheta-Tilley Jr., Director of Development for the It Gets Better Project via a press release. 

“Working with a best-in-class organization such as the It Gets Better Project once again, is an absolute thrill,” said Voodoo Doughnut’s CEO, Chris Schultz. “To be able to play even a small part in supporting their mission in our communities is really what it’s all about.”

Getting a taste of the whimsical pineapple and coconut doughnut in the Greater Houston area won’t be hard, as there are multiple Voodoo Doughnut locations in the city — one in Montrose and one off of Washington Avenue — as well as in Katy and Cypress. The Paradise doughnut is on-brand for a chain that is known for boundary-pushing offerings such as Old Dirty Bastard topped with chocolate frosting, chocolate cream-filled cookies and peanut butter and Maple Blazer Blunt dipped in maple frosting and dusted dusted with cinnamon sugar and red sprinkle “embers”.

Voodoo Doughnut has raised money for non-profits since starting in Portland, Oregon in 2003, and formalized its quarterly giving program in 2019. According to the company, to date it’s raised over $200,000 for charities, such as recent beneficiaries American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and HERA Ovarian Cancer Foundation.

Phaedra Cook

Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.