Last Updated on June 20, 2022 by Jim Edwards
Who doesn’t love a warm, sweet, syrupy, and oh-so-soft donut as a treat? Lucky for you – you can satisfy all your cravings for these treats on National Donut Day by ordering your favorite flavors of donuts.
National Donut Day is celebrated on the first Friday of June every year.
You may have heard about two donut days being celebrated in the USA. However, you must remember that the second donut day that falls on November 5th is to celebrate the contribution of the Salvation Army by distributing donuts among soldiers to boost their morale.
You can do a lot of new things on National Donut Day, like trying a new flavor of donuts with your friends, donating donuts to your favorite charity, or sharing donuts with the local community. This celebration of donuts can only be made sweeter with other people; therefore, we suggest getting your friends and family together for a treat early every June.
Many donut shops and bakeries offer special deals and discounts on National Donut Day to encourage people to try out their new and special editions of donuts. If you are lucky, you may even be able to find a shop offering free donuts on this special day. If you want to know more about the day dedicated to your favorite gooey, chewy, deep-fried, and utterly sweet treat, read on below to find out more information about National Donut Day.
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History of National Donut Day
The origins of National Donut Day can be traced back to 1938. National Donut Day was began as a fundraiser for Chicago’s Salvation Army. The goal of the fundraiser was to help individuals who were in need during the Great Depression, the world’s greatest economic depression in the 20th century, and to honor the ‘Lassies’ of World War I who provided soldiers with donuts as a way to uplift their spirits and keep them motivated.
Donut Dollies of the Salvation Army were female volunteers who wanted to play a part in helping the brave of the country fight vigorously and courageously.
These Donut Dollies traveled to France in 1918 in support of American soldiers. They were a part of a mission by the United States of America that provided soldiers with “huts” that were social centers and canteens.
These huts provided the soldiers with baked goods, clothes-mending services, and writing and stamp supplies. As per custom, six staff members were assigned to a hut, with four being women who could take care of the boys. These huts were in the vicinity of army training centers, making them accessible to soldiers.
The donuts at the huts were an instant hit among the soldiers who wanted something to remind them of home. Many soldiers began to visit the Salvation Army huts. The women who provided the men with donuts began to be known as the “Donut Girls”.
World War II also saw women from the Red Cross distributing donuts among the soldiers who were fighting. The girls naturally also began to be known as the Donut Dollies. To this day, Chicago and many other cities celebrate National Donut Day as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. Many well-known organizations and donut shops joined the trend of fundraising on National Donut Day and collected a large amount for the Salvation Army in 2017.
Contrary to what you might think, they are more donut days than just two. The first National Donut Day falls on the first Friday of June, while another National Donut Day is celebrated on November 5th. Due to the large variety and special flavors of donuts, some people celebrate National Jelly-Filled Donut Day on June 8th, while National Cream-Filled Donut Day is celebrated on September 14th. There is also a “Buy a Donut Day” on October 30th.
How to Celebrate National Donut Day
It may be 2 pm on a sunny day or 3 am after a long movie marathon, but we’ve all found ourselves craving a donut now and again. When you really think hard about it, there’s no surprise that a fresh donut hits the spot just right. With a squishy and light sweet dough topped with a sugary and syrupy topping, a donut is delightfully sweet and full of carbs (a guilty pleasure of many).
You can enjoy donuts with a warm beverage of your choice to make your experience exceptionally sweet. You can also have donuts as a small treat at your workplace or for a sleepover with your friends accompanied with long chats.
More importantly, there is a ton of variety of donuts, including maple glazed donuts, simple chocolate sprinkles, or even stuffed cheesecake filling donuts. For National Donut Day, there are a few traditions you can follow to enjoy the day to the fullest.
Enjoy As Many Donuts as You Can
The best tradition you can follow for national donut day is to eat as many donuts as possible in as many flavors available. It can be a fun competition between you and your sibling or a co-worker.
Many companies have a discount on National Donut Day to encourage customers to buy a large quantity of donuts at a reduced cost. You can avail these deals and save on a few extra bucks and enjoy delicious, decadent donuts with your loved ones. Whether you like a Bavarian cream donut or a traditional glazed donut, you can have a friendly donut eating competition to celebrate the deliciousness of this sweet treat.
Try a Funky New Flavor of Donuts
The best part about enjoying donuts is that they are available in a large variety of different flavors and toppings. Whether you are looking for vegan donuts or donuts with crazy icing flavors, you can enjoy them with your family and friends anytime. A sinfully decadent chocolate donut or a berry-licious creamy donut can make your National Donut Day delightful. However, but trying newer and more experimental flavors like matcha glazed donuts and pink lemonade donuts.
Make Donuts at Home with Loved Ones
If you are health conscious and want to keep yourself free from the unhealthy fats of store-bought donuts, we recommend making your own donuts at home on National Donut Day.
Home-made donuts are much healthier since you know exactly which ingredients have been used in the dough and in the icing of the donut. They can also keep you safe from added sugar in the donuts as you can add healthier natural alternatives such as honey into the mix.
Sharing is caring! If you want to make your celebration on National Donut Day even sweeter, get a large box of donuts and share them with your friends and family. You can distribute donuts among your neighbors if you are a new resident in the area or apartment as an introductory gift.
We recommend taking a large box of donuts to work and sharing donuts with homeless people and those less fortunate than us to revive the spirit of Donut Girls. You can help out fellow human beings and cheer them up by providing them a delightful and delicious treat.
The History of National Donut Day
National Donut Day is the perfect time for millions of people to chow down on some tasty sweets. But you may not know this food holiday is rooted in history with The Salvation Army.
During World War I, The Salvation Army began a mission to provide spiritual and emotional support for U.S. soldiers fighting in France. As part of that, women named the “Donut Lassies” served donuts to soldiers to boost morale and provide a bit of comfort under treacherous conditions. Lt. Col. Ward Matthews of The Salvation Army is joining RTM via Skype with more on how a small treat became a big symbol of kindness to those in need.
National Donut Day – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Where can I get free donuts on national donut day?
If you want to get a free donut from Dunkin’ Donuts on National Donut Day, you can buy a shake or coffee from them. As for Krispy Kreme, you can get a free donut on National Donut Day as a part of their campaign to celebrate it. Duck Donuts, Tim Horton’s, and 7-11 also offer free donuts on National Donut Day.
Some restaurants have special offers for a free donut on National Donut Day. The eateries that have special criteria are the Dapper Doughnuts, LaMar’s Donuts, and Voodoo Doughnuts.
Who started the first National Donut Day?
National Donut Day was started by the Salvation Army in order to honor the female workers or the Donut Girls who served the soldiers of World War I with a variety of donuts and coffees. The first National Donut Day is believed to be celebrated in 1938.
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I’m Jim Edwards and I started this website to share my love of Junk Food. We cover new junk food, desserts, snack foods, fast food secret menus, candy (of course!) and other related news. We love trying “secret menus” at restaurants. And we love trying new products too. So, we are trying to have some fun with our hobby and share some useful information with you, our community. Please feel to send us your suggestions and feedback through the contact form. And if you have products you would like us to try, let us know…!
