National Donut Day 2027 is on Friday

About National Donut Day

Behind the free doughnuts and bakery promotions sits a piece of wartime history. After the United States entered World War I in 1917, the Salvation Army sent volunteers to France to run small canteens, or huts, near the American lines. They offered soldiers coffee, baked goods, writing paper and a place to rest, and the women who served there became known as the Donut Lassies or Doughnut Girls.

A history published by the US World War One Centennial Commission credits Ensign Helen Purviance of Huntington, Indiana, working with Margaret Sheldon, with frying the first batch for the troops in the fall of 1917. They improvised with what they had, rolling dough with a bottle, and later had a local blacksmith build a cutter from an empty milk can and a tube so the doughnuts could have holes. As the canteens expanded, the volunteers turned out thousands of doughnuts a day, and the treat became a lasting reminder of home for many soldiers.

The Salvation Army held the first National Donut Day in Chicago in 1938. It served two purposes: to raise money for people struggling through the Great Depression and to honor the women who had served in France. The organization says the day remains a time to remember the Lassies' service and to recognize veterans, and many local Salvation Army units still use it to raise funds and hand out doughnuts.

The June date is not a federal holiday. Some online calendars also list a second doughnut day in November, but no organization is documented behind that one; the first Friday in June is the date the Salvation Army keeps.

Sources: The Salvation Army USA: National Donut Day, US World War One Centennial Commission: Helen G. Purviance, the first Salvation Army 'Doughnut Girl', San Francisco Chronicle: A holey holiday, National Donut Day (2009). How we check dates.

How to mark National Donut Day

• Try the Salvation Army's published World War I doughnut recipe at home, and share the batch with neighbors or coworkers.
• Buy a dozen from an independent local bakery or doughnut shop instead of a chain.
• Drop off doughnuts and coffee at a fire station, hospital ward, VA clinic or anyone working an early shift.
• Donate to or volunteer with your local Salvation Army corps, which is how the day began.
• Read up on the Donut Lassies and Helen Purviance, and share their story with kids or a history class.

National Donut Day dates