Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good

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Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good

Please enter your name, email and zip code below to sign up!

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Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good

Please enter your name, email and zip code below to sign up!

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please enter a valid email address
Please enter a valid zip code

Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good

Please enter your name, email and zip code below to sign up!

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Created by The Salvation Army in 1938.
Celebrated worldwide ever since

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MEDIA KIT

MEDIA INQUIRY

The first Friday of June is the day we celebrate all the warm-and-glazed goodness of donuts. But did you know that donuts and doing good go hand in hand?

In 1917, The Salvation Army embarked on a mission to provide spiritual and emotional support for U.S. soldiers fighting in France during World War I. At the personal request of General John J. Pershing, about 250 volunteers traveled overseas and set up small huts near the front lines where they provided soldiers with clothes, supplies, and of course, sweet treats.

Despite discovering that serving baked goods would be difficult considering the conditions of the huts and the limited rations, two officers began frying donuts. These tasty treats boosted morale and won the hearts of many soldiers.

Nicknamed Donut Lassies, the women who served donuts to troops are often credited with popularizing the donut in the United States when the troops returned home from war.

Throughout the 1920s, and into the 1930s when the Great Depression upended countless lives, The Salvation Army continued to sell and donate donuts. When World War II began, volunteers from The Salvation Army once again provided sweet treats to those serving on the front lines, but were now assisted by a new invention – the automatic donut-making machine.

The Salvation Army in Chicago celebrated the first National Donut Day in 1938 to help those in need during the Great Depression and to commemorate the work of the Donut Lassies.

The donut still serves as a symbol and reminder of the comfort The Salvation Army Donut Lassies provided to soldiers during World War I and World War II through many social service programs still active today. Many local The Salvation Army locations celebrate the work of the original Donut Lassies by delivering donuts to those in need.

And thanks to your ongoing support, we’re able to do the same here in our own backyard.

 

Join in on the fun

You can make your own delicious donuts at home with The Salvation Army's original Donut Lassies recipe, available below.

 

Donut Day Fast Facts

For every donut you enjoy on Donut Day, consider making a donation to The Salvation Army of North Texas to support those experiencing poverty, addiction, and homelessness in your community.