Free Donut Day
A toast to the 'doughnut lassies': Free Donut Day has long-standing history ofbravery
Free Donut Day!
Salvation Army donut lassie
Friday is National Doughnut Day, y'all!
Many of your favorite off-limits baked goods spots will be handing out a free donut of any variety to happy, hungry patrons. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Shipley Do-Nuts and Dunkin Donuts will all give you the sweet stuff for free!
More than an excuse for overindulgence, this national holiday actually holds a quirky place in our country's history as well, with ties to the Salvation Army and WWI.
As the history books tell the tale, two female Salvation Army volunteers, Ensign Mary Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance, devised the clever idea to serve home cooked meals to American soldiers to boost their morale on the front lines in the hardest days of battle in 1917.
This donut day, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Shipley Do-Nuts and Dunkin Donuts will all give you the sweet stuff for free!
Unfortunately, on the front lines of war-torn France, they had limited ingredients and only the equipment on their backs to work with. So, in a moment of inspiration, Sheldon and Purviance improvised and began frying rings of sweet dough in a soldier's helmet.
Pretty soon, the other recruited "Doughnut Lassies" were making their way through the trenches, bringing coffee and donuts to the troops. Less than a year later, the Allies declared victory over Germany, and American soldiers returned home, with memories of these sweet treats dancing in their heads.
The Salvation Army declared the first National Doughnut Day in 1938 as a way to honor all of the "doughnut lassie" volunteers who went to war on behalf of the Salvation Army. The day began as a fundraiser during the Great Depression, and it has endured due to its obvious appeal to both sweet-toothed customers and civic-minded donut shops.
Even if you're not enjoying the jelly-filled joy of free donuts, you can still get in the philanthropic spirit. Entenmann's will donate $1.00 to the Salvation Army for every person who likes their Facebook page up until Friday. And you can text the word 'DONUT' to 80888 to make a $10.00 donation to the Salvation Army.
Happy Doughnut Day to all of you! Now pop over to our online poll and tell us where you found the best donut in Austin!
