It feels sometimes like every day is a holiday of some sort -- on that note, Happy National Hug Your Cat Day -- but this Friday, June 7, one of the nation's largest nonprofits will commemorate 81 years of confectionery celebrations on National Donut Day.
While most people associate The Salvation Army with its traditional Christmastime red kettle bells, National Donut Day -- always the first Friday in June -- has been a major occasion for the Army since 1938. About 250 "Donut Lassies" served hand-made donuts to soldiers serving in France during World War I, and National Donut Day was founded two decades later in Chicago, during the Great Depression. (Here's the original Salvation Army donut recipe -- frying the donuts in a soldier's helmet is optional.)
And while many retailers are sure to offer free donuts in some form, this Friday, June 7, the Army will be marking National Donut Day with a broad series of events from coast to coast:
- Entenmann's and The Salvation Army will deliver donuts to more than 20,000 veterans. The full list of National Donut Day delivery events, spanning 30 states and Washington, D.C., is here.
- In Minnesota, The Salvation Army of Minneapolis will hold 'Donutland' art installations at the Rosedale Center from Friday through Sunday.
- In Hawaii, Daylight Donuts, Dunkin', Regal Bakery and 7-Eleven will donate proceeds from National Donut Day sales to their local Salvation Army Corps, while Krispy Kreme and Pipeline Bakery & Creamery will have kettles where people can donate.
- In California, The Salvation Army of Southern California and BakeMark will hold the third annual Donut Eating Championship. In 2018, professional competitive eater Matt Stonie downed 48 BakeMark donuts in 8 minutes to take the crown; this year's competition, which will be held on the USS Midway, will be headlined by No.1 ranked female Miki Sudo.
- Also in California, the Culinary Arts Training Program in Sacramento is hosting a special donut-making lesson, using the traditional "Donut Girl" recipe; and in Los Angeles, Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken will donate 100% of proceeds from sales of its Salvation Army-themed donut to the organization.
- In Arizona, grocery chain Bashas' is partnering with The Salvation Army for their annual Donut Flavor Craze Contest, inviting entrants to submit donut flavor ideas that represent what they love most about Arizona. (Last year's winners included a Creamy Horchata Donut and and Italian Panini Donut.) Ten percent of all donut sales on Donut Day will be donated to the Army.
- And in Illinois, where National Donut Day began 81 years ago, the Army is partnering with Clyde's Donut's for a series of regional events around the state.
Beyond the National Donut Day events, the Salvation Army USA provides more than 56 million meals to Americans in need each year. The Salvation Army provides food in every zip code in America.
To find an event or other resources in your local area, the Army recommends using its Location Search feature here.
(Full disclosure: I partnered with The Salvation Army USA in 2017.)
