- Krispy Kreme is giving away free doughnuts on Friday for National Donut Day.
- Other brands giving away doughnuts include Dunkin' Donuts and Walmart.
- National Donut Day is celebrated on the first Friday of June every year.
Krispy Kreme is giving away free doughnuts on Friday, June 1.
The chain is doling out free treats for National Donut Day. There are no strings attached and no additional purchase necessary - just one free doughnut of the flavor of customers' choosing to celebrate the holiday.
Krispy Kreme has a list of all locations that are participating in the doughnut giveaway on its website.
Krispy Kreme is not the only chain offering National Donut Day deals in 2018. Dunkin' Donuts is giving away a free doughnut with the purchase of any beverage on Friday. Even Walmart is getting in on the action, with free glazed doughnuts at every location in the United States.
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 on The Salvation Army's website.
"These tasty treats boosted morale and won the hearts of many soldiers," the article continues. "Nicknamed 'Doughnut 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.