There’s a ‘hole’ lotta happy on the way. The first Friday in June, June 3 this year, is National Donut Day.
Started by the Salvation Army in Chicago in 1938, the day honors the group’s “donut lassies,” who served treats and provided assistance to soldiers on the front lines during World War I. (And this isn’t to be confused with National Doughnut Day, which is in November and celebrates the actual food.)
And with National Donut Day, comes donut deals!
This list is subject to change and more deals may be added as they are announced.
Dunkin Donuts: Get one free donut with the purchase of any beverage.
Krispy Kreme: Every customer gets a choice of any free donut on Friday, June 3, no purchase necessary.
In preparation for #NationalDonutDay, Dunkin Donuts will whipped up a few of the delicious treats live on Facebook, Thursday, June 2 at 6 PM (EST).
More National Deals:
Entenmann’s: A total of more than 150,000 donuts will be given away in more than a dozen cities around the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Louisville, New Haven, New York City, and San Diego, plus Entenmann’s is hosting a sweepstakes on Facebook with 10 lucky winners getting free donuts for a year.
Shipley Do-Nuts: Visit a participating location from 5 a.m. to noon on National Donut Day for a free donut.
Randy’s Donuts: Customers get free donut holes at this famous Los Angeles donut shop from 6 a.m. to noon on National Donut Day.
Lamar’s Donuts: Follow this Facebook link to get a “golden ticket” for a free donut on Friday, plus a free 16-ounce Lamar’s cup with any purchase.
Duck Donuts: Go to the Facebook page of Duck Donuts—a chain with dozens of East Coast locations stretching from the Jersey Shore to North Carolina—for a coupon valid for a free sugar donut on National Donut Day.
Cumberland Farms: Purchase any coffee or fountain drink between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Friday and take your pick of a free donut.
Honey Dew Donuts: Purchase any medium-size beverage and you’ll get a free (Up)Beat Cancer Donut, which is chocolate frosted, has blue and red sprinkles, and was created to raise cancer awareness.
Giant Eagle: Every Friday, including National Donut Day this Friday, Giant Eagle supermarket locations offer a half-dozen donuts for free when you purchase a half-dozen.
**Deal info courtesy TIME.com**
Want to learn more about donuts? Here you go:
Doughnuts have been around since long before the First World War, and we have the Dutch to thank for them. The Dutch would make “olykoek,” which translates to oily cake. The first Dutch doughnuts didn’t have a hole, but they were fried in hot oil and the dough was sweet.
It wasn’t until 1847 that the holed-out doughnut we know and love today appeared. Hanson Gregory, 16 at the time, claimed credit. Sick of doughnuts with a raw center, he used a pepper pot to punch out holes to help his doughnuts cook more evenly.
By 1920, Adolph Levitt, a Russian living in New York, had invented a doughnut machine. Thirteen years later, doughnuts were proclaimed the “Hit Food of the Century of Progress” by the World’s Fair in Chicago.
