RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Pantry Inc. is growing its Fresh Initiative program at Kangaroo Express stores in the Raleigh area, just in time for National Pastry Day tomorrow.

The new bakery case at Kangaroo Express stores – which will debut tomorrow -- features glazed doughnuts, which are almost 40 percent larger than other well-known brands; blueberry and banana nut muffins; cheese Danishes; and jumbo chocolate chunk and oatmeal raisin cookies, according to the company. The bakery offering will also include seasonal treats, such as a pumpkin muffins and maple long john for the fall, and red velvet muffins and doughnuts with holiday sprinkles for the winter.

As part of the Fresh Initiative program, guests can purchase a doughnut for 49 cents with any size Bean Street coffee.

In honor of National Pastry Day, Kangaroo Express will provide free samples of its new bakery line and its Bean Street Coffee to customers at its 4302 Wake Forest Road store in Raleigh, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Customers will also receive a buy one, get one free coupon for any pastry item.

The Pantry's Fresh Initiative program is intended to build the convenience store operator's business and allow Kangaroo Express to be a serious player in food, as Convenience Store News reported in its Special Section, "Inside The Pantry," in the November issue. Currently, the chain dedicates approximately 25 percent of its retail space to Fresh, which presents differently across the stores since the footprints range from 4,000 to 12,000 square feet.

Bakery is rolling out to all existing stores with the full Fresh Initiative program, beginning with 120 stores in Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C. Bakery wasn't initially in those units since the program wasn't completed with the Bean Street rollout, so the chain is back-filling there first.

The Pantry said earlier this year that it plans to roll out the Fresh Initiative program to 400 Kangaroo Express stores by the end of this year. The c-store operator launched the Fresh Initiative in the Raleigh market in June 2010, followed by the Charlotte market at the end of 2010.