The Salvation Army Celebrates ‘National Donut Day’ On Friday

The holiday, held annually on the first Friday of June, was established by The Salvation Army in 1938 to honor The Salvation Army’s “Donut Lassies” who served these treats to soldiers during World War I.

This significant occasion established the donut as a long-standing symbol of the services The Salvation Army continues to provide.

In order to support Salvation Army services today, Donut Days and North Lime Coffee will be asking everyone enjoying a donut to consider giving back to support their local community. 

Funds collected will be used to support local programs such as the Salvation Army’s Emergency Shelter for women and children.  

The Salvation Army celebrated the first National Donut Day in Chicago in 1938 to help raise needed funds during the Great Depression and commemorate the work of the “donut lassies” who fed the tasty confection to American soldiers and made the donut what it is today.  The donuts became synonymous with The Salvation Army, as well as the American soldiers who were returning home with the nickname, “doughboys.”

Today, The Salvation Army continues to provide meals, including donuts, and numerous other services to clients who visit Salvation Army programs daily.

75^th Annual National Donut Day Fun Facts:

The Salvation Army started National Donut Day during the Great Depression as a way to raise funds and bring awareness to The Salvation Army’s social service programs.

National Donut Day commemorates the “donut lassies,” female Salvation Army volunteers who provided writing supplies, stamps, clothes-mending and home-cooked meals, and of course, donuts, for soldiers on the front lines. 

Approximately 250 Salvation Army volunteers provided assistance to American soldiers in France starting in 1917 during WWI. 

With limited resources, these treats were fried, only seven at a time. The Salvation Army’s Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance cleverly thought of frying donuts in soldiers’ helmets