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Salvation Army Carries On Historic Tradition on National Donut Day
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The Salvation Army of San Francisco will celebrate National Donut Day on Friday, June 5 at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Clinic located at 401 Third Street (at Harrison) in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. Salvation Army officers and volunteers will be on site between 8:30am – 10:00am (as supplies last) to distribute donuts and coffee to Veterans as well as passersby in honor of the historical Salvation Army “Donut Lassies” of WWI. In addition, a Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Canteen will be on site to ensure hot coffee is available for all. All Veterans are welcome, and anyone who wants to say thank you to a Veteran is welcome to stop by and enjoy a donut, too.
The 78th Annual National Donut Day commemorates The Salvation Army women volunteers who cooked donuts on the World War I battlefield, providing nourishment and care for American G.I.s. The pastries were virtually unknown in the States at the time and proved so popular that when the American soldiers—or “doughboys”—returned home, their demand for the sweet treat created the culinary phenomenon of the donut. The donuts became synonymous with The Salvation Army. National Donut Day, held annually on the first Friday of June, was established by The Salvation Army in 1938 in Chicago to honor the “Donut Lassies”, and to help raise needed funds during the Great Depression. This significant occasion established the donut as a long-standing symbol of the services The Salvation Army continues to provide. Today, The Salvation Army continues to provide meals, including donuts, and numerous other services to clients who visit Salvation Army programs daily.
“It’s a privilege to pause and thank our Veterans with a hot cup of coffee and a donut, much like the Salvation Army Donut Lassies did almost eight decades ago,” said Major Robert Birks, General Secretary for The Salvation Army’s Golden State Division. “While the times have changed and a San Francisco neighborhood is much different from the battlefields of WWI, The Salvation Army’s mission remains the same: to do all that we can to meet human need without discrimination.”
Nationally, for the fifth straight year, Entenmann’s will be awarding lucky fans with “Free Donuts for a Year” as well as other prizes through the sweepstakes link on the Entenmann’s Facebook page, now through July 3, 2015. For every consumer (fan or not) that enters the Facebook “National Donut Day Free Donuts for a Year” Sweepstakes, $1 will be donated to The Salvation Army, up to $30,000. Official Rules can be found at www.entenmanns.com.
“As The Army celebrates its 150th global anniversary, we are grateful for loyal partners, like Entenmann’s, who have proven to be exceptional in their efforts to support our mission of goodwill. We look forward to making the 2015 National Donut Day an unforgettable occasion,” said Colonel Ron Busroe, National Community Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army.