The Sweet History Behind National Donut Day
How The Salvation Army Popularized America's Favorite Treat
When you grab your free or discounted glazed treat on the first Friday of June, you might assume it's just another corporate food holiday cooked up by marketing teams.
But National Donut Day has a deeply profound, historical origin story that stretches back over a century to the muddy, rainy trenches of World War I France. It wasn’t started by a bakery chain; it was created by The Salvation Army.
Enter the "Donut Lassies"
In 1917, following America's entry into World War I, The Salvation Army sent a dedicated fact-finding mission to Europe. Their goal was simple but massive: figure out how to provide spiritual, emotional, and practical support to the millions of young American soldiers (affectionately known as "Doughboys") fighting on the front lines.
About 250 female volunteers traveled overseas and established makeshift social centers, or "huts," near the active battlefields. These huts gave soldiers a place to write letters home, get their uniforms mended, and find a warm, friendly face in a harrowing environment.
Frying in Steel Helmets
The volunteers wanted to serve comforting, home-cooked baked goods to the troops, but the realities of frontline warfare made it incredibly difficult. Fuel was scarce, ingredients were tightly rationed, and proper baking equipment was nonexistent in their abandoned buildings.
Two resourceful volunteers—Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance—refused to give up. Gathering what basic rations they had (flour, sugar, lard, baking powder, and canned milk), they came up with a brilliant workaround.
Without proper frying pans, they famously used the standard-issue steel helmets of the soldiers to fry the dough.
On their very first day, they were only able to hand-pat and fry 150 donuts. The sweet scent wafting through the cold trench rain drew massive lines of homesick soldiers. Realizing they had a massive hit on their hands, these brave women worked through artillery fire and rain, eventually ramping up production to churn out an astonishing 9,000 donuts a day.
The volunteers quickly became known across the military as the "Donut Lassies" (or "Donut Girls").
How the Holiday Was Born
Before the war, donuts were relatively obscure in mainstream American culture. But when millions of Doughboys returned home from Europe, they brought back an insatiable craving for the fried treats they'd eaten in the trenches. Local bakeries stepped up to meet the demand, and the modern American donut industry exploded into life.
Fast forward to 1938 during the height of the Great Depression. The Salvation Army in Chicago launched the very first official National Donut Day.
The holiday served a dual purpose:
To raise crucial funds to feed and house the millions of families devastated by the economic crash.
To permanently honor the brave Donut Lassies who had put their lives on the line to comfort troops twenty years prior.
Keeping the Legacy Alive
Today, major donut chains across the country celebrate by offering free or discounted treats. But true to the original 1938 tradition, The Salvation Army still uses the day to raise awareness and funds for their localized social service programs.
Many local chapters celebrate the holiday by directly delivering free donuts to veterans' homes and active military installations, continuing a century-old promise of joyful service.
So, when you take a bite out of a fresh donut this Friday, remember: you aren’t just enjoying a sweet breakfast treat. You're participating in a rich history of frontline bravery, makeshift helmet-frying, and community care.