Celebrate National Doughnut Day

This food holiday almost slipped past me. Today is National Doughnut Day, but it isn’t just another arbitrary food holiday cooked up by a commercial enterprise – this special day has roots that go back almost 100 years.

According to the Salvation Army, National Doughnut Day’s origins stretch back to the first World War, when Salvation Army volunteers were looking for a way to provide comfort to U.S. troops who were fighting on the front lines during WWI. They landed on the idea of frying doughnuts and serving them to the soldiers.  Facing limited resources, the Salvation Army’s Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance came up with the clever solution of frying donuts in soldiers’ helmets. The volunteers were dubbed “Doughnut Lassies” by the troops. However, the first “holiday” didn’t occur until some 20 years after the doughnut frying event, when The Salvation Army celebrated Doughnut Day on the first Friday in June, 1938, to honor the Lassies.

Several local and regional chains offer free doughnuts to customers on National Doughnut Day, including Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts. Krispy Kreme customers are encouraged to donate to The Salvation Army’s miniature Red Kettles stationed at the registers of participating locations.