Image By: Casey Bisson
Today is national doughnut day, also known to many as the day where you can walk into your nearest Dunkin’ Donuts or Krispy Kreme and grab yourself a free pastry. There is so much more to it then that though, which makes this holiday one of the coolest holidays of the year. Although it might sound like a holiday created by some marketing department trying to advertise a new doughnut; it was actually created by the Salvation Army as a way to raise funds?
The History:
It all started back during World War I. I would imagine spending all day in the trenches fighting for your life would be pretty demoralizing. That’s why during the war the Salvation Army sent people to the front lines to meet with the soldiers and bring little goodies to take their mind off the horrors that were going on around them. One of the things that they would do is bake some doughnuts for the soldiers out of one of their helmets. Soon these sweet people were affectionately referred to as “donut lassies”.
Fast forward about 20 years to 1938, the Salvation Army needed a new way to raise money for all the extremely nice things they do. As a tribute the doughnut lassies, they decided to create a doughnut day, where they would give out doughnuts to people and in return many people would donate some money. It was such a hit that it became an annual occasion to help raise money.
Today:
Unlike some holidays that have completely lost their roots, national doughnut day is still just as important to the Salvation Army as it was back in 1938. They still do their fundraisers through doughnut drives and still provide a vital service to many people in need. In addition commercial companies like Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts have taken hold of the holiday as a way to give back by giving out a free doughnut to whoever is brave enough to sit through the lines.
So next time you’re stuffing your face with your Gay Bar or Maple Blazer Blunt, think about the Salvation Army, and how awesome they were for creating this wonderful holiday.
Note: I thought about not writing this as the first post on the site and instead writing about one of the many interesting game related things that I read about today. But with today being not only D-Day but also Doughnut Day, and reading the history behind it, I just couldn’t pass up the chance. It’s just so interesting!
