National Donut Day: How Rochester offered free donuts to heroes
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Friday is one of the sweetest holidays of the year: National Donut Day!
It was founded in 1938 by the Salvation Army in Chicago to honor the 'Donut Lassies' — volunteers who served donuts to soldiers during World War One.
Donuts Delite and our local Salvation Army joined forces Friday to hand out hundreds of free donuts to some of our every day heroes.
'So, the tradition, again, goes back to the 1920s, World War I and so we have just always felt that it's an opportunity for us to give back to the community,' Salvation Army of Greater Rochester Director of Development Michael Gilbert said. 'A lot of people give to the Salvation Army to help us do our mission and so this is that one day that we can go and return the favor to those organizations that are serving throughout our city throughout our community and helping those who need it most.'
Multiple major chains are also getting in on the fun, including Dunkin' and Tim Hortons, which have been giving out freebies with any drink purchase.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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