The Brief
- A beloved pastry tradition is recognized across the U.S. in honor of a favorite comfort food.
- The annual National Donut Day celebration traces its origins back to World War I efforts organized by the Salvation Army.
- One local shop continues the legacy by crafting fresh, handmade goods every morning to bring families together over sweet treats.
CLEARWATER – The annual National Donut Day celebration is the first Friday of June; and as local donut shops bring communities together across the Tampa Bay Area to honor a sweet tradition, one shop owner tells us the story of how it was born.
History of the Holiday
The backstory:
It began as an act of kindness.
The Salvation Army sent volunteers to the front lines in France during World War 1. Those representatives, mostly women, used makeshift field bases to create the dough and fry the sweet treats for thousands of United States soldiers.
“National Donut Day actually originated as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army,” explained Heather Quinly, the manager of Shipley Donuts in Clearwater. “They did it originally in honor of their ‘Donut Lassies’ that had served fresh donuts to soldiers on the front lines of World War I.”…