PORTLAND, Ore. — It's National Donut Day and you can celebrate by getting some sweet deals while also supporting some good causes.
Did you know that National Donut Day has a unique history dating back to 1938?
National Donut Day was established by the Salvation Army in Chicago as a fundraiser to help families struggling during the Great Depression. The holiday also honors the women known as "Donut Lassies" who served donuts to soldiers on the front lines during World War I. The donuts eventually became a symbol of hope and comfort for our nation's troops.
“Donuts are a special symbol of the work that we do at The Salvation Army,” said Alexa Morris, director of communications and marketing. “They symbolize comfort and support for those during times of need. We are proud to continue the work of the Donut Lassies and remind Oregon of this day’s significance.”
National Donut Day is held on the first Friday in June.
The Salvation Army will be handing out free donuts at the Lloyd Center at Stanford’s outdoor plaza from 3 - 4:30 p.m.
Now that you know a little history about National Donut Day, here are some sweet deals.
NOLA Doughnuts
NOLA Donuts will be giving away boxes of its flaky, La’ssant square donuts to random guests each hour at both the Lake Oswego and Pearl locations. NOLA Donuts will also donate 10 percent of all sales to the Camp Blue Spruce, a non-profit camp for children with life-threatening food allergies.
Voodoo Donuts
Voodoo Donut celebrates National Donut Day by offering the mouth-watering donut known as the Homer for $1 from midnight to midnight at all Voodoo Donut locations. This forbidden donut is a yeast-raised, dipped in strawberry flavored frosting and topped with colorful sprinkles. Pick one up before you say "D'oh!"
Blue Star Donuts
In honor of National Donut Day Blue Star Donuts will release a special donut made of fluffy vanilla cake lacquered in a local strawberry glaze, topped by bespeckled, chef-made white and strawberry chocolate and a light sprinkle of Bitterman's Campfire Smoked Salt. Each unique donut is a nod to all the local artists and the live art project happening at all seven Blue Star Donuts locations (excluding PDX).
Local artists will be creating art pieces inspired by donuts that Blue Star will auction off on Instagram with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Children’s Healing Art Project (CHAP). CHAP is a mobile team of teaching artists that bring the healing power of art to children in crisis.
CoCo Donuts
Head down to CoCo Donuts & Coffee and pick up an assorted box of a dozen donuts. Three box limit per person.
Sesame Donuts
Sesame Donut will be giving away a free donut to customers at all of their locations in honor of National Donut Day.
Check out a list of their locations here.
Krispy Kreme Donuts
Krispy Kreme is going big this year by giving away 1 million donuts. Visit a participating Krispy Kreme shop and choose a favorite donut (no purchase necessary, limit one free donut per guest).
Go on a donut tour
Finish off National Donut Day by going on the Downtown Portland Underground Donut Tour. The tour takes you on four different stops around Portland where you can sample some of the best donuts Portland has to offer. Tours run Friday through Sunday and cost $30 per person.
Learn more about the tour at Underground Donut Tour.
RELATED: 9 National Donut Day deals for 2019
