back in 2020, one random conversation led to another, and suddenly… frankie d’s donuts was born. but the real story started long before we made our first batch of donuts.
my pawrents, Mak and Fia-Lynn, have been through a lot of trauma in their life. In 2015, Mak met Fia-Lynn and moved to Canada. they also started therapy and healing from their childhood trauma. Mak was diagnosed with severe depression, chronic anxiety and complex PTSD.
for years they felt alone, weighed down by shame and stigma they rarely left the house and felt afraid of people.
but they had me, and a dogs gotta go on walks. we explored the mountains, and made visits to the dog park. I ran up to strangers, kissed peoples hands, wagged my whole body in love, and reminded Mak that not all human hurt.
bit by bit (and with a lot of support) they began to find hope in other people, and in life, again.
as they healed, they realized so much of their suffering was from the shame they felt and the isolation of not being able to find others who understood what they were going through.
people turned away at the words "childhood abuse".
when people asked "how are you?" they didn't want to hear about my depression, insomnia or latest suicidal thoughts. complex ptsd wasn't a topic to discuss when someone new asked if I wanted to grab a coffee. and talking about my struggles with gender and sexuality wasn't neat or tidy.
Mak wondered if maybe others felt as alone as they did.
so they set out to create a social enterprise grounded in care, connection and having conversations that matter.
they knew they wanted a product to inspire this movement, but they didn't know what. and then one day on a phone call with a new friend in Manitoba, donuts were mentioned.
Mak thought "what better way to have hard, honest messy conversations than over a delicious hand-made donut?"
they left the phone call, ran out to tell Fia-Lynn who very confused replied; "but honey, we aren't bakers?"
frankie d’s was never just about making oversized, shareable, beautifully imperfect, delicious donuts.
since the first batch of donuts were sold in august 2020, we've grown into offering
and through it all, the heart stays the same: helping people feel less alone and safer to ask for help
we hope that one day we will have a physical home...
a warm, cozy space for shared stories, peer support, and genuine belonging: community tables, peer support circles, donuts fresh out of the fryer, and where no one has to sit alone with what they’re carrying.
we have so many hopes for what frankie d’s can become,
and we’re grateful you’re here walking this journey with us.
reach out to us and let us know if there is anything we can do for you
