Mark Lennihan / AP
Dunkin' Donuts is celebrating National Donut Day.
- Dunkin' Donuts is giving away free doughnuts on Friday for National Donut Day.
- Other brands giving away doughnuts include Krispy Kreme and Walmart.
- National Donut Day is celebrated on the first Friday of June every year.
Dunkin' Donuts is giving away free doughnuts on Friday, June 1.
Customers can get a free doughnut with the purchase of any beverage to celebrate National Donut Day. The offer kicks off on Friday morning, whenever your local Dunkin' Donuts opens.
Dunkin' Donuts isn't the only chain with National Donut Day deals this year. Krispy Kreme is also offering a free doughnut to all customers, with no additional purchases necessary. Even Walmart is getting in on the action, with free glazed doughnuts at every location in the US.
While food holidays have exploded in popularity in recent years and now dominate the American calendar, National Donut Day has a longer history than most other culinary celebrations.
The first National Donut Day was held in 1938, as a tribute to The Salvation Army's "Doughnut Lassies," who helped support the troops during World War I.
"After discovering that serving baked goods would be difficult considering the conditions of the huts and the limited rations, two volunteers - Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance - began frying donuts in soldiers' helmets," according to an article about the holiday on The Salvation Army's website.
"These tasty treats boosted morale and won the hearts of many soldiers," the article continues. "Nicknamed 'Donut Lassies,' the women who served donuts to troops are often credited with popularizing the donut in the United States when the troops (nicknamed 'doughboys') returned home from war."
National Donut Day is celebrated on the first Friday in June every year.