Sprinkles of History: The Sweet Story Behind National Donut Day
National Donut Day was started in 1938 by Chicago's Salvation Army in order to honor the Donut Lassies that began serving during World War One.
'They served the men on the front line that were nervous, are scared about their days, and they brought them rations and spiritual advice,' Salvation Army Volunteer Special Events and PR Coordinator Sarah Femister said. 'Then by the end of it, there was nothing left but to make donuts. And they even fried them in the helmets, or anything they could find.'
The reason behind using donuts was because they were cheap and a common comfort food.
'It was something sweet that could remind the men of home and hope and everything was going to be all right,' Femister said
This year, donut shops are making sweet deals for National Donut Day.
'We released two new seasonal flavors – is going to be our Fruity Pebbles and our Lemonade,' Nightlight Donuts and Coffee General Manager Patricia Sidbury said. 'It's been pretty popular today, and we're offering 20 percent off of all donuts today, as well.'
'Everybody gets a free donut today, and with a free beverage,' Dunkin employees Amya Harper and Kimberly Starts said.
The Salvation Army partnered up with local donut stores for National Donut Day to make everyone's day a little sweeter.
'This year we were lucky enough to partner with H-E-B here in town….and a few of our Shipley's to help us get donuts and donut holes to all of our first responders and community partners around Waco,' Feimster said.
If you're taking advantage of the donut deals today, make sure to thank the Donut Lassies that inspired the holiday.
The donut remains a lasting symbol of the Salvation Army's comforting support of our soldiers during both World Wars.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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