Everybody has their favorite donut. Glazed, jelly-filled, frosted, chocolate or maybe even one with sprinkles on it. There’s never a bad time or reason to consume the sweet, circular treat, let alone on National Donut Day, which occurs on the first Friday of June each year.

However, what most may not know is the holiday’s origins. Its backstory expands far beyond an average civilian inventing the day on their own. In fact, it can be traced all the way back to World War I, Europe and The Salvation Army.

During WWI, when U.S. armed forces were battling on the front lines in France, The Salvation Army had its own army of volunteers, composed of mostly women, on hand to provide for soldiers after a long day of battle.

“The Salvation Army called them ‘Donut Lassies’ and sent them out over to Europe,” said Cari Detmers, director of development for The Salvation Army of Marquette County. “They set up these huts, and they would serve coffee, pies and donuts to our soldiers. When a hut wasn’t available, they would send them as close to the front lines as they could get.

Salvation Army volunteers, also known as “donut lassies,” are pictured serving coffee and donuts to U.S. soldiers in the trenches during World War I. The first National Donut Day was celebrated by The Salvation Army in 1938. It’s annually celebrated on the first Friday of June. (Photos courtesy of The Salvation Army)

“They would do whatever they could to be with (the soldiers) while they were there. They wanted to bring ‘home’ to them.”

The Salvation Army sent around 250 of these volunteers overseas to serve American soldiers after the U.S. entered the war in 1917, according to its website. It was a small way to raise the soldiers’ spirits and thank them for their service.

The concept of Donut Lassies resurfaced in 1938 during the Great Depression, the same year Chicago’s Salvation Army recognized National Donut Day for the first time.

“During the Depression, the Chicago Salvation Army decided to do Donut Day in honor of the lassies,” Detmers said. “Women volunteered and set out to do the same thing (as the war) during the Depression, feeding people coffee and donuts.”

Detmers admitted that nobody really recognizes the day as one that originated through The Salvation Army, rather recognizing it as just another day on the calendar of fun and wacky holidays. Detmers herself wasn’t aware of the origin until she became involved with organization.

“I didn’t know either,” she said. “National Donut Day, it really had its roots in what the U.S. is all about. We go where we are needed to do what needs to be done. The Salvation Army has been around since the mid-1800s. Whenever there’s a need, you know there’s going to be a Salvation Army there to meet it.”

With that history lesson in mind, what is The Salvation Army of Marquette County doing to celebrate the annual occasion on Friday?

Giving out free donuts, of course.

The organization is partnering with Huron Mountain Bakery to provide the tasty treats at both its Marquette and Ishpeming locations. The first 200 people to visit Huron Mountain Bakery in Marquette and the first 100 people to visit Huron Mountain Bakery in Ishpeming on Friday will receive one free glazed donut.

While offering complimentary donuts is just one way to celebrate the holiday, The Salvation Army views it as a token of gratitude to a community that has pulled together to help its neighbors over the last year.

“Because COVID was especially hard for people in the community, we wanted to thank the community for pitching in over this last year and helping us feed all of our neighbors,” Detmers said. “Since this time last year, we’ve served over 4,000 families with pantries, vouchers, gas cards, utilities, Christmas and different types of case management. We’ve served 24,796 lunches since COVID started, and all have been served to go. We sent out 2,921 pantry services, and each service included two boxes, a huge paper bag, two plastic bags and additional bread and dairy. We doubled the size of lunches over this last year. We used to get 60 people for in-person lunch, and now we’re doing 100 to 125 per day.

“That’s what the community has helped us do. For National Donut Day, the least we could do is give a sweet treat to our town that has been so sweet to us.”

The Salvation Army’s iconic red kettle will be present at both Huron Mountain Bakery locations with signs attached showing community support over the last year.

“People can see how amazing the community was in rallying around each other and making sure everyone was fed,” Demeters said.

The Salvation Army assists more than 23 million Americans annually, and serves in approximately 130 countries.

To learn more about National Donut Day and to find The Salvation Army’s original World War I donut recipe, visit www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/national-donut-day/.

To find out more about The Salvation Army of Marquette County, visit www.centralusa.salvationarmy.org/marquettecountymi/, call 906-226-2241 or 906-486-8121, or email mqtcounty@usc.salvationarmy.org.

Huron Mountain Bakery in Marquette, located at 1301 S. Front St., is open 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 6 a.m. to 7 p.m Sunday. Its Ishpeming location along U.S. 41 is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

For more information on Huron Mountain Bakery, visit www.huronmountainbakery.com or call its Marquette location at 906-225-1301 or its Ishpeming location at 906-485-6848.

Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.