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 is on the first Friday of June each year and both independent doughnut shops and large national franchises offer free doughnuts to their customers. Here are just a few of the participating companies:
– Krispy Kreme is offering a free donut to everyone on Friday with no purchase necessary.
– Dunkin Donuts will offer a free donut with the purchase of a beverage on Friday.
– Print this Facebook coupon, and you can get a free donut at Tim Hortons with any purchase on Friday.
– Entenmann’s launched a Donut Day sweepstakes, where 100 winners will receive free Entenmann’s donuts for a year. (Hundreds of other prizes are offered as well.)
