WASHINGTON, October 25, 2017  – A Pennsylvania donut store chain owner is practicing his own brand of sweet patriotism. Maple Donuts is imploring Pennsylvanians to take a stand, not a knee.

In order to show support for the American flag and the National Anthem, the York, Pa., Maple Donuts shop is sponsoring a red, white, and blue theme filled with dozens of flags on its “God Bless America” sign, according to WPMT- Fox43.

The Maple Donuts billboard sparks debate over it’s sweet patriotism.

The donut shop is just one example of businesses across the nation, whose owners are literally fed up with the politicization of NFL football games.

Business owners are letting customers know just where their feelings and their patriotism are rooted.  Maple Donut’s sweet patriotism a turnabout from the bitter spice of companies, like Penzy’s Spices, that sent customer’s letters saying “If you voted for Trump, we don’t want you as a customer.”

“In the aftermath of the election, seeing the intentional damage inflicted on so many outside the white heterosexual male world, we raised our voice. We felt we had to,” he wrote. “And while the reasons for why we took a stand might be specific to our unique outlook, what we learned actually applies to all commerce in the United States. What we learned is that President-elect Donald Trump has no real support. Voters, sure, but no constituency. Running a campaign on ‘that horrible-terrible-woman who should be locked up,’ while at the same time working to raise fear of minorities among white voters with limited access to education, clearly achieved its goal. But none of it left Americans with any sense of connection to the candidate they actually voted for.”

Response to Penzy’s has been both positive and negative.  One woman wrote:

“I am done shopping here. I do not come to a spice company for political advice. Any Penzeys store I have ever been in, are in white areas of the city and I have never been waited on in your stores by anyone other than white women, tired of this bullcrap,” one commenter wrote.

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Jim Nelson, a manager for Maple Donuts, stressed, “We’re a very patriotic company. We fly the flag every day,” reported WPMT- Fox43.

While some customers may feel upset over the open and celebratory support for the National Anthem, the American flag, and President Trump, the sweet treat shop stand’s behind their patriotic displays.

Nelson stated, “It just went right in line with our company values.”

For the patriotic customers who have made Maple Donuts their favorite stop for all things round, sweet and flavorful, this certainly is an added bonus.

One-person admonished Maple Donuts on their Facebook page stating, “I wish the owner of Maple Donuts wouldn’t use race as a wedge issue to sell donuts.”

Yet there were far more who were supportive of Maple Donuts and its ‘Takes a Stand and Not a Knee’ billboard like Dylan Wescoat  who wrote on Facebook:

“Thank you Maple Donuts. My hats off to you. We need more patriotic businesses like you. If you don’t love this country and our flag, then get out! Move somewhere else and see how you like it. Thank you for supporting the Red, White, and Blue.”

Sweet Patriotism as Maple Donuts Takes A Stand – Facebook post

Joe Oaster. A local business owner agrees with the Facebook support for Maple Donuts. He commented, “I don’t see race in that at all. We can all look at an apple and see different things,” reported WPMT-Fox43.  Sarah Sloanaker of York County, another area resident agreed. ”I didn’t think about it as a race thing. I thought about it more as a football thing. It could be misinterpreted.

This is not the first time that the Maple Donuts shop has gone on the record for being patriotic as well as supportive of Donald Trump.  According to Penn Live, during the presidential campaign season, the donut shop gained the ire of some customers in June of 2016.

The owner decided to fly Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan flag outside its York County, Newberry Commons Shopping Center store.

Even though some customers threatened to take their donut purchases elsewhere, the flag remained and the patriotism continues.