The first National Donut Day was celebrated by The Salvation Army in Chicago in 1938 to help raise needed funds during the Great Depression and commemorate the work of the "donut lassies" who helped make the donut what it is today by feeding the tasty confection to American soldiers during World War I. The donuts became synonymous with The Salvation Army, as well as the American soldiers who were returning home with the nickname, "doughboys."
National Donut Day Fun Facts:
The Salvation Army:
-
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.
-
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.
-
Approximately 250 Salvation Army volunteers provided assistance to American soldiers in France starting in 1917 during WWI.
-
In 2013, 30 million Americans received assistance from The Salvation Army's 3,600 officers, 60,000 employees and 3.4 million volunteers.