National Donut Day or National Doughnut Day, celebrated in the United States and in some other countries, is on the first Friday of June of each year, succeeding the doughnut event created by

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...

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in 1938 to honor those of their members who served doughnuts to soldiers during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.Kevin Faga
A holey holiday – National Donut Day
June 6th 2009 SF Chronicle The holiday celebrates the

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of food made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franc ...

. Many American doughnut stores offer free doughnuts on the occasion.

History

National Donut Day started in 1938 as a fundraiser for

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. Their goal was to help those in need during the

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, and to honor the Salvation Army "Lassies" of World War I, who served doughnuts to soldiers. Doughnut Dollies 1918 France

Soon after the entrance of the United States into

in 1917, the Salvation Army sent a fact-finding mission to France. The mission concluded that the needs of American enlisted men could be met by canteens/social centers termed "huts" that could serve baked goods, provide writing supplies and stamps, and provide a clothes-mending service. Typically, six staff members per hut would include four female volunteers who could "mother" the boys. These huts were established by the Salvation Army in the United States near army training centers. About 250 Salvation Army volunteers went to France. Because of the difficulties of providing freshly baked goods from huts established in abandoned buildings near to the front lines, the two Salvation Army volunteers (Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance) came up with the idea of providing doughnuts. These are reported to have been an "instant hit", and "soon many soldiers were visiting the Salvation Army huts". Margaret Sheldon wrote of one busy day: "Today I made 22 pies, 300 doughnuts, 700 cups of coffee." Soon, the women who did this work became known by the servicemen as "Doughnut Girls". A misconception has taken hold that the provision of doughnuts to enlisted men in World War I is the origin of the term "

doughboy Doughboy was a popular nickname for the American infantryman during World War I. Though the origins of the term are not certain, the nickname was still in use as of the early 1940s. Examples include the 1942 song "Johnny Doughboy Found a Rose in ...

" to describe U.S. infantry. However, the term was in use as early as the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

of 1846–47. In the Second World War, Red Cross Volunteers also distributed doughnuts, and it became routine to refer to the Red Cross girls as Doughnut Dollies as well. In Chicago and other cities, National Donut Day is still a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. In 2017, the organization joined with Russ's Market, Super Saver, LaMar's Donuts, Hurts Donut and

Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme, Inc. (previously Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.) is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain. Krispy Kreme was founded by Vernon Rudolph (1915–1973), who bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans ch ...

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and

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to raise funds on National Donut Day. There are three other doughnut holidays, the origins of which are obscure. National Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day is recognized as June 8 (occasionally as June 9). National Cream-Filled Doughnut Day is celebrated on September 14 although there is also a National Boston Cream Pie Day observed October 23rd. Buy a Doughnut Day occurs on October 30. The birthday of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

(November 10), was once referred to as National Donut Day, in a successful ruse by American prisoners of war at

Son Tay prison camp A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...

to trick the North Vietnamese into giving out donuts in honor of the occasion. A second National Donut Day is also celebrated on November 5th, which is speculated to have originated from this event.

Doughnut Day (Australia)

In the state of South Australia Donut Day (first Friday of June) is honoured with a partnership between Krispy Kreme and the Salvation Army and includes a celebrity donut decorating competition, donut giveaways, and the Red Shield Hope Donut whose profits go to supporting the Salvation Army's work in Australia. In Australia in 2020, the term 'doughnut day' has become a reference to the shape being a 'zero', representing a day free of new

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...

cases. It stemmed from 26 October 2020 when a

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

supermarket had sold out of doughnuts, taken to be a symbol of hope and recovery during a long period of

lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

Notes and references

Sources

* Those Extraordinary Women of World War I, Karen Zeinert, 2001
Origins of "Doughboy", An Interim Report
by Michael E. Hanlon, June 16, 2003

External links

* {{US Holidays Doughnuts Unofficial observances June observances Recurring events established in 1938 Observances about food and drink Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month)

History

Doughnut Day (Australia)

See also

Notes and references

Sources

External links