Each year, on the first Friday of June, National Donut Day is observed! While national donut day sounds like a glutinous, sugar filled, and all around delicious holiday, it’s not a new fad that popped up in the recent past, its actually been celebrated for more than 80 years and here’s why:

During WW1, Salvation Army volunteers in charge of bringing food to the front lines figured out that battle helmets were the perfect size to fry up 7 donuts at a time. In 1938 The Salvation Army decided to honor the women who lead this initiative, aka the “Donut Lassies”, by declaring National Donut day.

To celebrate National donut day, many donut shops and bakeries will be having great promotions and giving away free donuts. Dunkin’ Donuts customers will receive a free classic donut with any beverage purchase, and Krispy Kreme will be giving away one free donut per person, no purchase necessary. Don’t forget to check your local donut shops to see what their special promotions are as well.